A December to Remember
by 554Laura
Summary: Jeffersonian Intern Jessica Warren and Agent James Aubrey try to navigate through their first Christmas as a couple. A Secret Santa fan fiction gift for mphs95. Mostly Aubrey and Jessica with a bit of Booth and Brennan on the side. This fluffy multi-chapter story is AU. I don't own Bones...
1. Chapter 1 Ideas Needed

_A/N: This is my Secret Santa fiction for mphs95. I know people familiar with her stories won't be surprised to learn that she had three wishes for a Jessica and Aubrey story. It's quite a daunting task for me to write a story like that for someone who is so good at it, but I decided to take on the challenge, and the result is a multi-chapter, slightly AU mash up of those wishes, describing the first Christmas of Jessica and Aubrey as a couple. My posting schedule may be slightly erratic, but I hope to publish a new chapter every few days until the story is complete. So Merry Christmas, mphs95. I hope you have as much fun reading this story as I had writing it. 5546Laura_

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Feeling anxious about being a few minutes late for work, Jessica Warren pulled her jacket tighter against the blustery weather as she raced up the steps of the Jeffersonian. It was a raw, snowy day in the middle of December, and she was in a hurry to get out of the cold. She checked in at the security desk before stopping to admire the rotunda above her. As a federally funded institution, the Jeffersonian couldn't display overtly religious symbols of the Christmas season, but the museum's art director had obviously figured out a way to circumvent that issue. Thousands of tiny glittering white lights were entwined with the cream, purple, and gold bunting that was draped from the upstairs balcony. Jessica smiled to herself as she enjoyed the view, appreciating the creativity of the decor. Most of the major religions of the world used light as a metaphor for goodness and holiness, so the display was not only ecumenical, it was beautiful, and also very appropriate for the season. The outer edges of the room were home to several white artificial trees of many different shapes and sizes which were covered with different sizes of golden baubles and tiny silvery birds, making the the entry into the museum appear to be an enchanted forest. After taking a few seconds to enjoy the scene, Jessica sighed happily, filled with another dose of Christmas spirit as she quickly headed across the museum to the Medico-Legal lab.

After opening her locker, Jessica sat down as she took off her snow boots and heavy jacket, stuffing them inside before buttoning her intern's lab coat over her slacks and long sleeved tee shirt. She looked in the mirror, laughing at her pink cheeks and nose as she tried, without much success, to tuck a few stray strands of her dark red hair back into the thick braid where they belonged. Unconcerned, she shrugged, and deciding she looked good enough to work with the dead, she started to close the locker door before something caught her eye. Inside the door was a strip of photographs from an old time photobooth. She and her 'friend', Agent James Aubrey, had both squeezed into the booth and had four silly pictures taken together. Aubrey had claimed one of the photos as being the best and had given her the other three. Her lips slowly drew up into a wide smile as she remembered that evening. They'd had a wonderful time at the chili cook off, walking together through the different booths, eating their fill of various spicy mixtures as they laughed and talked about a wide range of topics other than work. Jessica had to admit to herself that Aubrey was definitely easy to talk to as well as being easy on the eyes. Looking into the mirror again, she winked coyly at her reflection, knowing full well who'd put the new sparkle in her green eyes. Things were going well with Aubrey, for the most part, except for the 'not knowing the exact state of their relationship' portion of things. It normally didn't bother her to have a casual, non-committal relationship with someone, but Aubrey was different. He was smart, funny, and kind, and Jessica found herself very attracted to him, wanting perhaps to be more than 'just friends' or work colleagues with him. She thought maybe he felt the same way about her, and she'd decided that she'd like things to become more permanent between them if she had the opportunity for that kind of relationship with him. Lately she'd even begun to fantasize about him in a decidedly unprofessional manner as well, imagining what it might be like to spend the evening wrapped in his arms as he made love to her...their hearts beating together in rhythm with his firm thrusts...their shuddering sighs and moans of ecstasy as they reached the peak of their pleasure together. Jessica shook off those thoughts as they crept into her mind. For the time being, she was content to be in the friendship zone with him. She was happy, and it seemed like things were progressing nicely between them. Hopefully, things would fall into place on their own. Now, if she could just figure out what to get him for Christmas…

Checking her watch, Jessica gasped in surprise as she realized how late she really was. She inwardly cringed at the thought of facing her annoyed mentor as she raced up the steps to the platform where Dr. Brennan had already pulled on gloves so she could begin taking measurements of the remains stacked on the table in front of her. Without looking up at her intern, she pulled a bone out of the pile of mangled remains and moved it over to the microscope stage so she could examine it more closely. "You're quite late, Ms. Warren…"

"I know. I'm really sorry, Dr. Brennan…" Jessica bit her lip, knowing that none of her excuses would be considered adequate by her mentor, but she couldn't help offering something by way of explanation. "I rode the bus to work today, and it was delayed by the weather. The streets are snow packed…" _Perhaps Dr. Brennan doesn't need to know about my sexy daydreams right now..._

"I suppose it's more practical to ride the bus on days like this.", Dr. Brennan commented dryly. "However, punctuality is also very important, and as a professional, you'll be expected to be prompt on a daily basis. I'd like you to make an effort to be on time in the future." Turning back to the table, Brennan continued. "Please go through these remains and extract any bony fragments you might find and set them aside for cleaning. I'm afraid the technicians who worked the crime scene were not as thorough as I might've liked. After you've cleaned the bones and the bone fragments, I'm going to see if I can begin reconstructing the skeletal structure of our victim. You may assist me after we've determined if we're missing any significant pieces."

Suitably chastised, the intern nodded. "Yes, Dr. Brennan." Jessica pulled on her gloves and picked up her tweezers, gently removing bits of tissue and clothing as she searched for shards of bone. The two anthropologists worked silently for a few minutes before Dr. Brennan paused, studying Jessica with interest.

"Are you feeling well today, Ms. Warren?" Brennan picked up a large piece of a long bone and set it aside.

"Yes, of course, Dr. Brennan." Startled at the question, Jessica regarded Dr. Brennan with surprise. "Why do you ask? Do I look ill?"

"Oh, no...nothing like that." Brennan smiled faintly. "However, you seem rather pensive today. On a normal work day you talk quite a bit, but you've hardly spoken a word to me so far this morning. I wondered if something had upset you."

"Nothing has upset me, exactly…" Jessica put down the tweezers and sighed as her shoulders drooped a bit. "I was just trying to go through my Christmas shopping list in my head. I've ordered a lot of things online and had them shipped to my family, but…" Her mouth twisted into a slight grimace. "...but Aubrey…I don't know what to do about Aubrey. I guess I wasn't really planning on getting a Christmas gift for him, but..." Jessica shook her head. "He asked me what I wanted for Christmas, so I told him I needed another copy of Grey's Anatomy, since mine is so beat up…and I need some new white socks and some dish towels..."

Brennan nodded. "Those seem like practical gifts…"

Shrugging, Jessica agreed. "I know. I thought so, too, but I think he was offended that I wanted something so prosaic...you know, something I could use at work or everyday items I could get for myself at Priceco at any time. He seems to think Christmas gifts should be about things people might want but would never buy for themselves...a sort of fantasy wish, I guess…"

"I don't think Agent Aubrey would consider a Grey's Anatomy textbook to be a prosaic gift if he knew how expensive one was." Both women laughed as they extracted more bone fragments. "However, in this situation, I believe that Agent Aubrey is trying to indicate that his feelings for you are more than simple friendship, so he wants to get you some sort of romantic gift."

Jessica blushed furiously. "I'm sure that's not true, Dr. Brennan...", she said, as she started to collect the bone fragments in a tray for cleaning…"We're just friends…"

"I see." Brennan chuckled softly. "I'm sure you truly believe that to be the case, Ms. Warren, but you seem to forget that I have quite a bit of practical experience with the 'just friends' scenario. I feel certain that time will prove you incorrect in that regard. Anthropologically speaking, single men give special gifts to single women for a limited number of reasons. One reason is to mark the receiver of the gift as their property by sending a signal to other men that the woman is no longer available to them. Another reason for such a gift is that the man may want to indicate the wish to initiate a sexual component in the relationship with the woman. The third reason is that the man wants to proclaim his romantic love for the woman. Because you haven't associated with Agent Aubrey very long, I'm assuming that your relationship with him hasn't progressed to the point where he's ready to lay claim on you. Knowing him as I do, I think Aubrey wants to proclaim his love for you instead…"

After giggling nervously under Dr. Brennan's intense scrutiny, Jessica paused slightly as she considered Dr. Brennan's explanation. "I find this gift giving situation so difficult to comprehend, Dr. Brennan. When my family lived in the educational cooperative, Christmas was not celebrated with all of the overzealousness I've seen in the rest of society. Because we had members of the cooperative who were non-Christians, acknowledging Christ's birthday was limited to small family celebrations. I usually received one or two small gifts of a practical nature, and nothing very expensive…"

"I completely understand, Ms. Warren. Being an atheist myself, I often find the extreme nature of some Christmas celebrations to be quite taxing. However, being in a relationship with Booth has allowed me to see the beauty in the sentiment behind the holiday, even if I don't believe the story that inspired it. It is quite enjoyable to give gifts as well as to receive them."

"And that leads me to my second problem, Dr. Brennan. I have no idea what to get James…" Jessica puffed out an exasperated sigh. "When he asked about gift ideas for me, I realized I needed to reciprocate, but he has offered very little useful information. He says he doesn't need anything, and if he wants something special he usually goes ahead and gets it himself. He also says whatever I pick out will be fine. It's so annoying! How am I supposed to know what to do? I'm not an expert on this sort of thing…"

"It is true that gift giving can be difficult from time to time, but in this case, based on my personal experience with Booth, I think what Agent Aubrey is really saying is that he wants something personal...something only you can give him." Brennan smiled as she took off her gloves and threw them away. "He wants _you_... _your heart_ , and so you should think of something that will remind him of you."

Shocked that Dr. Brennan would give such romantic, impractical advice, Jessica slumped on a stool. "I have no idea what that might be...I've drawn a total blank..."

A dreamy smile spread across her mentor's face. "Perhaps I can offer you an example as a means of explanation. Before I spent my first Christmas with Booth as his life partner, the months that preceded the holiday were fraught with several emotional highs and lows for both of us. We had lived through a difficult and complicated period in our lives before we finally reached our place together as a couple. There were many times I thought I might lose him, and that made me both terrified and very sad before I was secure in his love for me." Brennan smiled as she brushed away a tear. "That first Christmas together, I knew Booth would give me a romantic gift to commemorate the occasion, but I had no idea what to give him in return, because, like you, I had no experience in that sort of thing. I ruminated on the problem for several days without success, until finally it was Christmas Eve, and I had no gift for him. So I decided to do what I knew I could do well. I wrote him a letter, pouring my heart out to him about how fortunate I was to have him in my life...about all my hopes and fears, and about how much I loved him and my dreams for our future together. Booth was quite moved by it, saying it was the most precious gift he'd ever received, and he was grateful I had taken the time to express my feelings for him. He still has that letter. He keeps it in a box on his dresser. He says whenever he's scared or sad, he reads it so he knows that he has something to be thankful for...which is me." Clearing her throat, Brennan smiled at Jessica. "You need to find something like that for Aubrey, Ms. Warren. You need to find something that tells him how you feel about him." Brennan pointed at the rest of the remains on the exam table. "Please let me know when the bones have been cleaned…"

"Yes, Dr. Brennan." Jessica gathered the bones and took them to the room where they'd be cleaned. As she loaded them into the boiler, she turned Dr. Brennan's idea over in her mind. _I need to something to show James how I really feel about him...but what?_


	2. Chapter 2 The Perfect Gifts

It was a snowy day in the middle of December as Special Agent James Aubrey paused by a window in the Major Crimes bullpen, watching the snowflakes spiral downward in the wind as he stirred some cinnamon into his coffee. He grimaced slightly, feeling somewhat guilty about being secretly relieved that no one had called the office yet with a new case that needed investigating. He took a sip from his cup as he stared across the snow covered city that December morning, not really seeing the white cityscape below him. He was too preoccupied with more important matters. Christmas would be here soon, and he had one very special gift that he still needed to purchase. Turning to walk back to his office, he mulled over his options again. This gift had to be really special. It would set the tone for everything else that happened between himself and the recipient from that point onward. There'd be no going back to the way things were before if he was successful, and no fixing things if he bungled it. It had to be perfect, but one small problem still remained...he didn't know what _it_ was yet…

Aubrey entered his office and sat down at his desk, sighing as he looked over the stack of case files on his desk. As one of the FBI's finest, he was normally focused and dedicated to completing the tasks at hand in an efficient manner. However, at this moment, he was much too preoccupied to concentrate on anything related to solving a murder case. All he could think about right now was what to do about finding a really romantic Christmas gift for his squinty redheaded...friend? Girlfriend? Work associate? How was he supposed to describe his relationship with Jessica Warren? She was beautiful, charming, smart, and funny, and she'd memorized all of the dialogue to every _Star Wars_ movie. She was also nerdy and sweet, and she loved all of the same goofy retro sorts of things he did, including graphic novels and old science fiction movies. She loved playing video games with him, and she often won, not only because she was good at them, but also because Aubrey often found himself too distracted to compete well against her when she sat on the sofa next to him. It was those eyes...they were a unique shade of green...and that smile…and that figure...and those legs...and that beautiful dark red hair...

Aubrey leafed through the top file, wondering if Jessica was working at the Jeffersonian today. He'd almost figured out her internship rotation schedule without blatantly asking her when she worked, but it seemed that the squinterns often traded days depending on what was going on with their classes outside of the lab. Even though the weather was horrible, he thought maybe he'd go over to the lab to see what the squints were working on this morning. The FBI techs had said that the latest body dump had been really nasty...maybe he should go over to make sure the techs had been thorough, although he felt sure he already knew the answer to that. Aubrey knew that no matter how well they'd picked apart the crime scene, they hadn't been thorough enough to please the persnickety Dr. Brennan. Maybe he could just wander over there to the lab and make sure that he smoothed things over for the techs. After all, he was one of the FBI liaisons to the Jefferson...it couldn't hurt, right? A happy Dr. Brennan made for a happy Booth, and Booth was his supervisor, so it'd be a good way to make points with the boss...and if Jessica was at the lab today, well, seeing her would just be the reward for a job well done…

 _Jesus...How junior high school is that? Making arrangements to show up where she's working just to get her to pay attention to me? I'm a grown man, for God's sake! I should just man up and call Jessica to ask her out again. That's exactly what I should do..._ Aubrey grinned as he pulled a small black and white photo out of his wallet. _We had a really good time at the chili cook off...God, look how cute she is in this picture. Yeah, I'm gonna call her…_ Pulling out his phone, he hesitated a few seconds. _Call her and say what? Wanna go have supper with me? By the way, are you my girlfriend?_ Irritated with his indecisiveness, Aubrey put his phone away and accessed the internet on his computer. _I gotta find something for Jessica's Christmas gift…_

"Hey, Aubrey!" Booth stood in the office doorway. "Wanna go for lunch?"

"Is it noon already? Sure, let's go." Aubrey shut down his computer and grabbed his suit jacket and his overcoat. "It looks like the snow's let up some. Wanna hit the diner?"

"Sure, that'll be fine." Booth nodded as he furtively glanced over his shoulder. "We need to get out of here before Karen Delfs knows where we're going and invites herself along. I don't feel like putting up with her constant chatter while we're having our burgers, you know?"

Aubrey shuddered as he thought of the new profiler in the office. "I'm telling you, Booth...that woman gives me the creeps. She keeps staring at me like she wants to pounce on me…like she wants to jump my bones or something..."

"Seriously, Aubrey? I think you're just being paranoid…but if you think she's harassing you, I can talk to her. There are strict protocols in place in the FBI to prevent that sort of sexual harassment on the job..." The two agents took the elevator down to the street level and walked in the direction of the diner. "Why would she be obsessed with you, anyway? You aren't available right now, are you? You've got a serious girlfriend, right? What's her name? Sylvia? Sophia? Something like that?"

"No, it's not really harassment...at least not yet. Right now, it's more of an annoyance than anything. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll take care of it. And no, I don't have a serious girlfriend...at least not yet…" Aubrey and Booth found their usual table at the restaurant and sat down, giving their usual waitress their usual lunch order. "But I'm working on it...I mean I'm interested in someone right now...you know, someone other than Karen…"

Booth grinned as he stirred some sugar into his coffee. "It's that new squintern girl, isn't it? The one with the red hair? Not Daisy...the other one. What's her name? Oh yeah, Jessica. You've been checking her out, right?" Laughing at Aubrey's sputtering denial, Booth shook his head. "Give it a rest, Aubrey. I got eyes, right? You can't fool me with that 'we're just friends' shit, you know? After all, you're talking to the grand master of relationship denial here…" Seeing his friend's embarrassment, Booth took a sip of his coffee. "I mean, I don't blame you for noticing her. She's really cute. Have you asked her out yet? Dinner and a show, right?"

"Well, kinda...I mean, sometimes we meet for happy hour drinks at the Founding Fathers on Fridays after work...you know, it's half price appetizers on Fridays…" Aubrey studied his french fries as he dipped them in some ketchup. "She's a lot of fun to hang out with...We went to a chili cook off last weekend and had a good time. We went to the Star Wars marathon over at the Cinemark…Jessica can practically recite all of the dialogue from those movies word for word. She comes over to my place a lot and we play video games or we drink beer and eat popcorn while we watch Netflix on my big screen television...she likes to watch Star Trek and NCIS."

Booth chuckled as he gestured at Aubrey with his fork. "So the answer is 'no'. You haven't been on a real date with her yet." Smirking at the irritated expression Aubrey wore, Booth continued. "Believe me, I get it. Bones and I worked together for years before we actually had a real date. We spent so much time together that we didn't really have to date in order to get to know each other. Nothing wrong with that, really…but I'm guessing you want something different, right?" Booth pushed his plate away and took a sip of his coffee. "C'mon, Aubrey...I know you've had some serious relationships before…you know how to handle this thing with Jessica..."

Focusing on the passersby outside the diner, Aubrey shook his head. "Yeah, you're right. I've been in relationships before, but this one is different somehow. It feels so comfortable when I'm with her...it's just...I don't know how to explain it except to say that I'm crazy about her. It's just...it feels right." Shrugging, he grinned sheepishly at Booth. "I don't wanna mess this one up, you know? Jessica means too much to me. I mean we spend a lot of time together...we go out casually and do stuff together all the time, so that's not really the problem, but Christmas is coming up soon, and I gotta get Jess a gift that lets her know how I feel about her...but it can't be too obvious. I don't want to look like I'm begging or trying to buy her affection." Aubrey cleared his throat before he continued. _Might as well go for broke…_ "What kind of gifts did you get Dr. Brennan when you were first a couple?"

Laughing out loud, Booth picked up the check for lunch from the table. "Let's head back to the office and I'll tell you all about it." After paying for lunch, the two agents left the diner and stood on the corner watching the traffic speed by in the slush. "So you want to know about some of the gifts I've gotten for Bones, right? Okay, well, there was this case we were working about a high school kid whose body was found in a time capsule that had been dug up, and Bones told me that when she was in high school some guy she had a crush on had given her a Brainy Smurf figurine instead of a Smurfette like she'd asked for, because he was making fun of how nerdy and smart she was. So one night when we were at dinner I gave her a Brainy Smurf figurine to show her that I thought she was really smart and a lot prettier than Smurfette. Before that, we were working a case, and she told me she'd always wanted a pet pig, so I gave her a plastic toy pig named Jasper to make her feel better after she had to shoot and kill a murder suspect who was trying to kill me." Seeing Aubrey's surprise, Booth shrugged. "I've gotten Bones a lot of different gifts over the years...jewelry, perfume, clothes, stuff for the house, things like that, but whenever she tells someone about the gifts she's gotten from me, she starts by telling them about those two little plastic toys. Do you know why?"

They started across the street silently while Aubrey mulled over the question. "I guess not, Booth. I can't imagine why Dr. B would be so pleased with those things…"

Striding along quickly so they could get out of a sudden snow shower, Booth grinned at his friend. "She cherishes those things because when I gave them to her, she knew I'd listened to her, and that I cared about her and about what was going on in her life at the time. It was a personal thing between us...something that only the two of us would understand, even if it did take us a while to figure it out. Those toys are symbols of the affection that's always existed between us, even when we thought we were just friends." Booth glanced at Aubrey to see if he understood.

Finally Aubrey nodded as he figured out what Booth meant. "So it's not the actual object that counts...it's the sentiment behind it."

"Exactly. You've got to find something that shows Jessica that you listen to her when she tells you things about herself and about what she's feeling. It needs to be something personal...maybe something only the two of you know about, but it doesn't have to be anything really expensive. If you can think of what that is, then you'll have the perfect gift to impress the woman you love. Oh, just a minute…" Booth paused as he answered his phone. "Booth...yeah. Jesus, really? Where? Yeah, okay, twenty minutes." Hanging up the phone, Booth shrugged as he put it away. "Someone found a body in the trunk of an abandoned car in the underground parking garage over at Reagan National. You're up. The FBI techs and the crew from the Jeffersonian will meet you there. It's on the lower level...3B." Booth pretended to shiver as he grinned at Aubrey. "At least it's out of the weather…"

"What? Why me?" Aubrey glared at Booth. "Aren't you coming?"

"Can't...got a meeting with Director Stark in fifteen minutes that I can't get out of...budgetary needs and shit like that. Anyway, you're a big boy, Aubrey. It's not like you need me for a wingman, is it? You can handle talking to that cute squintern girl all by yourself, I'm sure." Booth chuckled at Aubrey's scowl. "Call me later to let me know what's going on with the case…" Waving as he laughed merrily, Booth walked into the Hoover and left Aubrey standing alone on the sidewalk as the snowflakes fell heavily all around him.

"Great. Just great.", Aubrey muttered to himself as he turned up the collar on his coat and walked to the lot where his SUV was parked. "I guess I'd better see what's going on at the airport…."


	3. Chapter 3 Superpowers

Even though it wasn't yet two o'clock in the afternoon, the dimly lit underground level of the airport's parking garage was almost pitch black except for the area illuminated by the large portable worklights that the FBI techs had set up around the car in question. Aubrey parked his SUV, and, after flashing his badge at the local cop directing traffic around the crime scene, walked over to the circle of pale yellow light where Dr. Camille Saroyan was standing next to an old blue Chevy sedan. "What have we got here, Dr. Saroyan?" Peering into the trunk of the car, Aubrey grimaced and turned away as a riptide of nausea washed over him, threatening to knock him off his feet. "And, Jesus, what is that stench?"

Cam took a step back so Aubrey could get a closer look. "It seems to be mostly skeletonized remains...the strong odor is partially from decay, but mostly due to the reaction between the drain cleaner that someone used as they tried to destroy evidence and the numerous fatty tissues in the body. The leftovers then pooled on the floor of the trunk before leaking onto the asphalt below. I simply can't imagine how anyone could ignore the odor reeking from this car until today. The parking lot attendant said she just thought the car was down here for so long because it's owner was on an extended trip."

Shaking his head, Aubrey tried desperately to keep his lunch down where it belonged as he backed away from the car. "How long has he been here?"

"She." Jessica Warren came over to stand by the car, grinning impishly as she lifted a flirty eyebrow at Aubrey. "The shape of the pelvis and the lack of prominent brow ridge indicate a female, most likely Caucasian."

"Oh, hello, Ms. Warren." Aubrey addressed Jessica coolly after giving her a sly wink. "Where's Dr. Brennan this afternoon? She didn't let you come to a crime scene unsupervised, did she?" With a flirtatious smirk, he gestured toward the car as he playfully interrogated her. "I don't think you're quite ready to fly solo yet, are you? This looks like it could be a challenging case...maybe too much for a lowly intern, even one with your special abilities and supreme intellect. I think you might need some guidance from someone more experienced...", he teased as she studiously opened up her work kit and pulled on her exam gloves.

Giving Aubrey a coy smile as she began to examine the area around the car, Jessica shrugged her shoulders. "Dr. Brennan says I've advanced in my graduate work enough to accompany her to a crime scene. It's all part of my intern experience. Anyway, they were short handed since Dr. Hodgins is out of the office today. He's at a forensic entomology conference presenting some papers on the dating of human remains using exotic insect larvae."

Clearing her throat, Cam nodded in the direction of a very loud, very heated discussion. "Dr. Brennan is over there explaining the proper recovery procedures for human remains to the Metro patrol unit that first responded to the scene. I guess the cops opened the car's trunk with a crowbar of some sort, and then at least one of them heaved his guts up into the trunk and all over the remains when he saw what was in here. Needless to say, Dr. Brennan is somewhat unhappy about her evidence being compromised…"

"Yeah...I bet." Aubrey bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud as the forensic anthropologist gave a severe tongue lashing to the unfortunate police officers, both of whom looked like they just might pass out at any minute. "You'd think cops would be used to stuff like this by now…"

"I guess…" Jessica grimaced as she looked back at the car. "I think it was the odor...it probably had been trapped in the trunk for a long time, and then when they opened the lid, the odor hit them full in the face. That's enough to make most people sick. There was a lot of damage done to the remains by the chemicals that were poured over them. Just looking at the remains in situ, it's difficult to estimate how long the decedent has been in the car's trunk. Dr. Hodgins and Dr. Brennan can run some tests when the remains get to the lab, and perhaps you can get the footage from the security cameras on this level to see if you can figure out approximately when the car was parked here." Jessica and Cam stood by the car as they waited for Dr. Brennan to complete her instructional lecture to the police officers. Finally she came striding over to the car and stood with her hands on her hips.

Brennan began giving instructions in her usual imperious tone. "Let's have the FBI techs prepare to remove the remains from the trunk so they can begin to check the car for fingerprints and other evidence. We'll have the remains transported back to the lab. Ms. Warren, please make sure to take several photographs of the scene before the car is towed." Pulling off her gloves, Brennan checked her watch. "There's not much more I can do until the remains are brought to the lab. I need to return to the Jeffersonian immediately, Dr. Saroyan. I'm expecting an important conference call from the chair of the forensic anthropology department at UCLA. Dr. Henderson wants to discuss various applications for our newest defleshing techniques. Can you give me a ride? I think Agent Aubrey can give Ms. Warren a ride back to the Jeffersonian when they're finished here, right, Aubrey?"

Even though Dr. Brennan's last statement was phrased as a question, her tone of voice made it quite clear that it was more of an order than a request. Aubrey shrugged, hoping to appear casual as he jammed his hands nervously into his overcoat pockets. He nodded in agreement, his heart beating a bit faster at the thought of being alone with Jessica as he drove her back to the lab. "Um, yeah, sure...I don't mind giving Ms. Warren a ride whenever she's ready to leave."

"Excellent. Thank you." Dr. Brennan nodded resolutely as she turned to give directions to her intern. "Please be detail oriented with your photographs, Ms. Warren. Also, please take several samples of the fluid in the trunk and pictures of the remains before they're removed from the car, and also after they're removed, as well as the area around the car and under the trunk."

Cam, shocked that the Dr. Brennan was ready to leave the crime scene so shortly after arriving, started to ask Brennan about her conference call, but she saw Brennan quickly flick her eyes toward Agent Aubrey and Ms. Warren before giving Cam a pointed look. "Oh, right. I remember...Dr. Henderson's conference call. Of course. No, I don't mind giving you a ride, Dr. Brennan. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes. Remember, Ms. Warren...lots of pictures, and check the area one more time for trace evidence in case the FBI techs missed something." Ignoring the icy glare from the lead FBI technician, Brennan moved away from the car and waved to Dr. Saroyan. "Let's go."

Oooooooooo

Jessica was busy taking pictures of the crime scene as Aubrey conferred with the FBI technicians about the sort of procedures involved in evidence collection that would meet Dr. Brennan's demanding expectations. After a few minutes he came over to see what the intern was doing.

"Taking pictures, huh?" _Really? Jesus, how lame can I possibly be?_ He cleared his throat and began again. "I mean, how do you know what to take pictures of? It looks like it's just random stuff, but I know you must have a system. Did they teach you that in forensics school?"

"It's one of the first things forensic technicians learn in undergraduate school...how to process a crime scene for evidence. It's pretty basic, really...not much skill involved. You take pictures in a pattern, or a sequence, to make sure you cover the whole area." She stooped down to take a photograph of the area under the car. As she stood back up, she turned to face Aubrey and grinned. "So, Superman, it looks like you must've used your awesome superpowers to convince Agent Booth to let you work this case on your own." She paused as she smirked at him. "Hey, do you think Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan were just trying to set us up? You know, like maybe they're forcing us to work closely together on a case so we'd find out we're actually crazy about each other?"

Aubrey laughed nervously, not wanting to admit that the same thought had crossed his mind, but he'd quickly dismissed it. "Not really…I don't think it's Booth's style to do something like that. He said he had a budget meeting he couldn't get out of, and I still have to report my findings to him, even if I am the lead on this case."

"Oh, I see." Jessica was slightly disappointed that Aubrey didn't take the bait she offered, but she agreed with him. "It's not like Dr. Brennan, either. She's too straightforward to play those sort of matchmaking games, I think."

"I guess you're right. However, the fact that I'm supposed to keep Booth apprised of our progress on this case has nothing to do with my amazing and awe inspiring superpowers." Aubrey threw his shoulders back a bit, pretending to sneer proudly as he tried to look tough. "As a matter of fact, I've used my amazing superpower of deduction to realize that it's really cold down here, and you probably need a jacket to wear over that jumpsuit…do you want to wear my overcoat?"

"No thanks, Aubrey. I'm fine. This jumpsuit is very warm when I wear it on over my slacks and tee shirt...but since you have X-ray vision, Superman, you probably already know what I have on under my jumpsuit." Jessica gave him another flirty grin as she flicked her thick red braid over her shoulder. "I caught you looking…"

"I wasn't looking at that sort of thing!", Aubrey growled as he felt himself blush. "Wait...does Superman actually have X-ray vision? I don't remember." Aubrey stood with his hands in his pockets, tapping his foot nervously as he tried to appear nonchalant. He studied Jessica as she carefully took pictures, wishing he really did have the power to see through her clothing. He found himself wondering if she actually was wearing a tee shirt and slacks under that snug jumpsuit, and imagining what sorts of other things might be hidden under those clothes... _God, she's so pretty...look at her cute little ass in that jumpsuit...X ray vision might come in handy in a case like this...Christ, what am I thinking?...she's my colleague at work! I shouldn't think of her like that...except she's just as cute as she can be…"_ Aubrey blushed again as he realized he'd been thinking about Jessica being naked under her jumpsuit. Clearing his throat, he sighed quietly as he tried to concentrate on being professional instead of being a horny guy.

Jessica, however, seemed to be completely unaware of Aubrey's discomfort as she continued her discussion of superheroes. "I think Superman has X ray vision...at least on the old television show he did…he could see through walls and stuff like that. He used it a lot to catch the bad guys." Jessica squatted down to pick up a piece of cloth with tweezers, putting it in an evidence bag. "I'm sure you're faster than a speeding bullet anyway, right? More powerful than a locomotive?" She stood up and winked at him, teasing him with her slightly sarcastic tone of voice. "Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?"

A large grin spread across Aubrey's face as he rose to her subtle challenge. "I can go fast if you need me to, Jessica, and I can go slow...it depends on what you like in your superhero. And as far as being powerful and leaping over things goes, well, you might be pleasantly surprised." Encouraged by Jessica's giggle, Aubrey decided to take a chance. "Listen, Jess...I was wondering…what would you think about..."

"Agent Aubrey?" Bill, the lead FBI technician came striding toward them. "A tow truck hauled the car away to the FBI garage just like you requested, sir. We're ready to have the body transported to the Jeffersonian…"

Puffing out a sigh over the interruption, Aubrey grimaced as he turned to Jessica. "I suppose that would be your department, Ms. Warren…"

Oooooooooo

It was late afternoon, and Brennan was working on typing reports in her office when her husband called to her from the doorway.

"Hey, Bones...so how did our little plan work out?" Booth grinned as he sauntered in and sat down in front of her desk. "Did they suspect anything?"

"Our plan worked like an amulet!" Brennan smiled at her husband, pleased with their success.

"A charm, Bones...it worked like a charm." Chuckling, Booth shook his head. "So you left the two of them together, right?"

"An amulet and a charm are the same thing, Booth...I fail to see the difference between the two items…both objects serve the same superstitious purpose." Annoyed with her husband's teasing, Brennan turned back to her computer and continued to work.

"Okay, fine...it worked like an amulet. Whatever...but tell me what happened at the crime scene." Booth leaned forward eagerly. "Do you think they knew we planned the whole thing?"

"Well, we didn't actually plan anything, Booth. We knew that we wanted to leave Aubrey and Jessica alone together at a crime scene so, as you so quaintly put it, 'nature could take its course', but we didn't know that someone was going to find a body in the airport parking garage this afternoon…" Seeing her husband's irritated expression, Brennan realized what he wanted to know. "Except for the disgusting odor and the fact that the police officers vomited on the remains, it was a fairly routine crime scene, so I had no qualms about it…"

"Qualms? What the hell does that even mean, Bones?" Booth rolled his eyes at his wife. "C'mon, Bones, get to the good stuff."

Frustrated with her husband, Brennan sighed loudly. "I'm trying to get to the 'good stuff', Booth, but you keep interrupting me. I knew the recovery of the remains wouldn't to be difficult, and Ms. Warren is quite adept in evidence collection, so I had no problem with leaving her at the scene to take photographs and collect fluid samples. I informed her that I had to come back to the lab for an important call, and I think she believed me." Brennan giggled as she continued. "My acting skills have improved tremendously, you know…"

"And Aubrey made it there to the parking garage? I told him I had a budget meeting I couldn't get out of, which was true, sort of...I just left out the fact that the meeting was just to sign some forms...I was done in ten minutes." Booth chuckled as he leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on Brennan's desk. "Aubrey's good enough to work without supervision, anyway."

"Yes, Booth, Aubrey was at the crime scene, and he was very professional the whole time, even with his romantic interest in Ms. Warren. I imagine he'll be a very successful Special Agent. He might even take your place one day." Laughing as she shut down her computer, Brennan picked up her bag. "Now I know why Angela enjoys matchmaking so much. I found my participation in our plan to be quite enjoyable."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, Bones, but you've got to keep quiet about it, especially to Ms. Warren. She and Aubrey might not be too happy if they found out we were meddling in their business." Booth rose from his chair and moved toward the door. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Brennan paused as she thought over her husband's statement. "Why wouldn't Aubrey and Ms. Warren be happy with us, Booth? We're just trying to help them become involved in a romantic relationship."

"Yeah, I know." Booth put his hand on Brennan's lower back as he escorted her out of her office. "But do you remember how annoying it was when Angela kept trying to push us together before we figured things out for ourselves? It was really awkward and embarrassing, right?"

"Perhaps it was somewhat embarrassing, but she says she did it for our own good, because she knew we belonged together and she just wanted to give us a nudge in the right direction." Brennan looped her arm through her husband's as they strolled to the Jeffersonian's parking garage. "I'm assuming you're doing the same for Aubrey, and I'm assisting Ms. Warren…"

"Nudges are fine, Bones, as long as the people being nudged don't know who's doing the nudging. You gotta trust me, Bones. We gotta keep this plan a secret from both of them, at least for now." He gave her a pointed look as they got into the SUV.

"Alright. I will defer to your expertise in this matter, Booth." She patted his thigh as he pulled the SUV from its parking place.

"Good. Now...let's go home. I'm hungry." Pulling the SUV out of the garage, Booth grinned as he turned the car toward their house. "Hey...what are you going to get me for Christmas?"

Brennan chuckled as she checked her phone for messages. "That's just another plan for me to keep as a secret, Booth, but I'm sure you'll like it, just like I'm sure you'll like my plan for this evening after dinner."

"Really? What plan is that?" Booth twitched his eyebrows at his wife. "Does it involve us getting naked together in the bathtub?"

Brennan nodded, smiling suggestively before turning to look out the passenger window. "It does now…."


	4. Chapter 4 Superheroes

_A/N: Just a reminder...this story is slightly AU. I don't own the Bones characters, but I do like to borrow them from time to time to act out my stories. The Storm character is the property of Marvel Comics. The Starfire character mentioned in this chapter is the property of DC Comics, as are Superman, Superwoman, and Supergirl. The dialogue and plot of the story are mine, but I did borrow and rework a scene from The Last Shot at a Second Chance. I'm sure you'll recognize it. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Laura_

* * *

Aubrey glanced at his watch again as he watched Jessica out of the corner of his eye. It was five o'clock in the evening, and Jessica was still taking photographs of the crime scene. Finally he cleared his throat to get her attention. "Um, Jess? It's getting kinda late…isn't it too dark to take pictures down here anyway?"

Jessica gave him a sweet smile before pointing to the camera's flash attachment and turning back to the task at hand. "I'm almost finished, Superman. I want to make sure I'm thorough. Dr. Brennan entrusted me with this job, and I don't want to let her down. Just a few more shots…" She took a flashlight out of her equipment bag and squatted down to look at the area where the car had been parked. "Dr. Saroyan said that she thought some of the body fluids might've leaked from the car's trunk, but I'm not sure that's what really happened. I don't see any evidence of any fluid here except brake fluid…"

Rocking back on his heels, Aubrey whistled a little tune as he waited impatiently, finally deciding to try another tactic to encourage the anthropologist to complete her work quickly. "Hey, I'm getting kinda hungry. It's been awhile since I ate lunch, and with it being this cold, my body has used up all that fuel in maintaining my high metabolism. I'm like a hummingbird, you know? I need to eat something soon..." _That ought to do it...use some science talk to impress her, right? "_ You don't want me to faint, do you?" He pretended to pout a bit as he watched her work. "That would be a terrible thing to have on your conscience, right?"

Rolling her eyes as she packed up her camera and her other equipment, Jessica let go an exasperated sigh. "Well, I'd hate to have you starve to death on my account, Agent Aubrey. I'm finished now, so you can drop me by the Jeffersonian and then you can go eat dinner. I rode the bus to work this morning, but I've missed the one that goes by my apartment in the evening, so I'll just take a cab home…"

That wasn't the plan Aubrey had in mind when he'd suggested it was time to leave. He was surprised to find that he was more interested in spending some non-work time with his favorite squint than in eating dinner, although he really was hungry. _Weird...I'd rather talk to her than eat...it must be love..._ Shaking his head, he disagreed with her suggestion. "Well, it's not like I'm going to starve to death in the next few minutes. I'll drive you home…maybe we can even stop somewhere along the way and pick up something for dinner." He gave her a warm smile. "That won't be a problem at all…"

"Except that I need to go by the Jeffersonian first...I need to put the equipment back where it belongs and my coat and boots are in the interns' locker room along with my purse…" Jessica grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry...I know that's out of the way. I'll just get a cab to go over to the Jeffersonian and then take another cab home. There will be plenty of cabs around here this evening since we're at an airport…that way you can just go on home and have dinner." _But that's not what I really want to do...I'd rather get a ride with him..._ Jessica stole a furtive glance at Aubrey, admiring the way his dark suit fit him across his shoulders and trim waist. The contrast between the suit and the tan overcoat was striking, and it accentuated his slim build very well. _What was it Dad used to call it? Wiry...yeah...slender but well muscled. Very nice...James is definitely well structured... "_ It's no trouble, Aubrey. I'm a big girl. I don't mind riding in a cab."

Aubrey rolled his eyes at her, holding up his hand to interrupt. "No way that's happening, Jessica. I told Dr. Brennan I'd give you a ride back to the lab, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Anyway, how can you pay for a cab if your purse is at the Jeffersonian? It's not like you have a lot of room to carry a wallet in that jumpsuit." Aubrey picked up one of the large equipment cases and put it in the back of his SUV. "We'll go by the lab to put this stuff away. You can pick up your things, and then I'll drive you to your place. How's that?"

"That might work…" Jessica paused as she lifted another case into the SUV. "You know, Aubrey, I've got some leftover vegetable soup in my refrigerator that I can warm up for us to have for dinner, and then maybe we can watch _Nightmare Before Christmas_ afterwards…" Jessica smiled shyly. "That is, if you want something like that to eat. I make good soup. It's got all sorts of different kinds of vegetables in it, and some meatballs...and I've got some homemade frosted sugar cookies at home, too." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, hoping she could hide her nervousness about whether or not he'd accept her invitation. "Come on, it'll be fun. I'm a good cook, and you'll get a nice free meal out of the deal…"

Aubrey pretended to shiver as he walked over to where Jessica stood, knowing that she was watching him intently. "Vegetable soup and homemade cookies on a cold night like this? Can't beat that for warming us up, can we? Although we might be able to warm up in other ways..." He took Jessica's hand in his, smiling as he bent down to kiss her, when his phone rang loudly, startling both of them. Sighing with disgust and rolling his eyes, Aubrey pulled his phone out of his pocket as Jessica giggled. "Aubrey. Oh, hey, Booth." Aubrey made a funny face at Jessica as he listened to his supervisor, causing her to grin as she entwined her fingers with his. "Yeah...yeah, I know. Yeah, Jessica took lots of pictures and samples for Dr. Brennan. I haven't called you yet because I was busy...the FBI techs left about thirty minutes ago. Yeah, we're finishing up here and headed to the lab. Yeah, I'll talk to you tomorrow." Ending the call, Aubrey put his phone in his pocket and grinned at Jessica. "Booth's got lousy timing, doesn't he? Let's get you to the lab…and then let's go have some of that soup."

Oooooooooo

Aubrey and Jessica drove through the dark streets of DC that evening, each one quietly contemplating the kiss that had almost happened between them. _We were so close…_ Jessica watched the Christmas lights go by as she stared out the passenger window. _Dammit, Agent Booth...of all the times to call, you have to pick that one…_ She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Aubrey's question the first time he asked it. "What?"

"You know...superheroes." Clearing his throat slightly, he'd finally decided to break the slightly awkward silence between them. "So if I'm Superman, which superhero are you gonna be? Superwoman?"

Jessica scoffed at that silly suggestion. "No way. I don't want to be anyone's sidekick. I want to be a superhero all on my own." She paused as she thought over her many choices. "I think I want to be Storm. As a little girl, I was always fascinated with her and how she could control the weather, and she's a strong female character who's not intimidated by anyone. She's an excellent role model."

"No way. You can't be Storm." Aubrey snickered as he checked his rearview mirror. He cast a sideways glance at his passenger. "That's not gonna work at all…"

"I don't see why not...It's my choice, and I can be anyone I want…" Jessica crossed her arms over her chest and pouted a bit. "You're probably just annoyed because Storm is probably stronger and has better superpowers than Superman, and you're afraid I'd win the superhero battle of the sexes."

"Nope, that's not the problem at all. And just so you know, Superman isn't afraid of losing any superhero battles, okay? However, you seem to have forgotten one little detail, Jessica. Storm is a Marvel Comics creation, and Superman is a DC comics creation. Those two worlds can't mix, right? They're two completely different universes. It would be like a crossover movie between Star Wars and Star Trek. It can't happen that way." Aubrey shrugged as he pulled the SUV into the Jeffersonian's parking garage. "It's just not natural, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jessica sighed softly as she thought over the situation. "Unfortunately, I'm not really up on the DC Comics Universe like I am on the Marvel Comics Universe. I don't suppose you have a suggestion, do you? I mean, other than Superwoman or Supergirl?"

They got out of the SUV and walked around to the tailgate. Grabbing some of the equipment, Aubrey nodded. "Yeah, maybe. I think I know who you can be instead of Superwoman. How about Starfire? She's got superhuman strength and skills, and she can manipulate ultraviolet energy." Smirking at Jessica, Aubrey closed the tailgate and continued. "She's also a really hot redhead who can assimilate different languages from men by kissing them…" Aubrey paused, realizing he'd just given his companion an idea of what he'd been thinking about on the drive over to the lab, and that those thoughts were definitely not pertaining to catching a criminal.

Smiling demurely, Jessica nodded slightly as she thought about Aubrey's suggestion. "Sounds like that was the original 'speaking in tongues' idea." Jessica laughed at Aubrey's embarrassment as they rode the elevator up to the lab. "It also sounds like you've done a lot of research on the character of Starfire…" Pushing the button for the lab level, she smirked at him. "I'm sure it's all for intellectual purposes…"

"Well, I wouldn't say I've done a lot of research on her, exactly. I just know about her from what I've read. She's a popular character, especially with that tiny costume she wears in the graphic novels. She's voluptuous, so she has lots of fans." Aubrey arched his eyebrow at Jessica and laughed. "Have you ever been to a cosplay convention?"

"No, but I've always wanted to go to one. What about you?", Jessica said as they stowed the equipment in the proper place in the lab.

"Well, there was one Star Wars convention where me and some of my fraternity brothers went dressed as storm troopers, and I've been to a few comic book conventions, but I've never gone in a costume. Maybe the next time the Imagicon's in town, we should go in costume together."

"I'd like that." Jessica gave Aubrey a flirty smile. "I suppose that means you'd like to see me in one of those tiny costumes like Starfire wears, right?" Aubrey blushed furiously as he fidgeted with his car keys. "It sounds like fun, Superman...let's plan on it. Okay, now you wait here. I'm going to go get my things out of my locker room. I'll be right back." With that, Jessica turned and quickly strode down the hall, leaving Aubrey standing alone in the lab. He looked out the window, gazing down at the snowy streets leading away from the Jeffersonian. Twinkling strings of lights had been festooned over the trees that surrounded the museum, providing inviting places for a pleasant walk on a winter's evening. Anxious to spend more time with Jessica, Aubrey came up with an idea. He turned and smiled as she joined him by the window. _God, she is so cute in that puffy coat and those little boots…._

"I was thinking...how about a pre-vegetable soup appetizer? There's a little gelato shop about a block from here. It's great stuff, made with organic ingredients. Why don't we go get some?"

Jessica paused for a few seconds before answering. It was hardly ice cream weather, but she knew that strolling through the glittering lights on a beautiful snowy evening with an attractive man by her side would quickly warm her up. "That sounds great." She smiled as Aubrey offered her his arm, looping her arm through his while they walked to the gelato stand, laughing and talking about superheroes and cosplay conventions. As they walked out of the shop, Jessica took a bite of her mango gelato.

"Ever notice it's never too cold for ice cream?" Jessica grinned as she licked her cone.

"Oh, are you cold? Here." Aubrey, ever the gentleman, slipped out of his overcoat and draped it around her. "There you go. Better?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Boyfriend!" Jessica gasped slightly as she realized what had slipped out. "I mean friend that's a boy. You know, as in 'attaboy'..."

 _God….just what we need...another awkward moment._ Aubrey shook off his negative thoughts. _It's time to just go for it._ "You know, I want to kiss you, Jess…I would've kissed you back there at the crime scene if Booth hadn't picked the wrong moment to call." He was relieved when he realized that Jessica wasn't going to run away from him in panic.

"I want to kiss you, too, even though a crime scene may not be the best place for that." She smiled shyly. "Do you think it means something that we haven't yet?"

"Maybe so, but I'm pretty sure it's my fault." He grimaced slightly as he shifted from one foot to another, trying to appear cool and calm and failing miserably. "I mean, I've built it up to be a big deal in my head, and now it's like this giant _T. rex_ flailing its tiny arms around _…" Good job, Slick...impressing her with your science knowledge there…._

"I think it's scary for both of us, because one thing can lead to another, right? And we have to decide how we feel about that...if that's what we really want." Jessica shrugged and nodded, understanding what he meant. "But I'm not in a rush to decide anything. Are you?"

"Not really, but normally, I'm really good at these kind of things, you know? I mean, it's not like I've had a bunch of girlfriends, but I know how and when to kiss someone I care about.", he stammered. _Yeah, just keep telling yourself that...maybe you'll be right one day..._

"You know what that tells me? That what you and I have isn't normal. It's more special than that, isn't it? And we don't want to mess this up. We can take it slow...we've got time." Jessica slipped out of Aubrey's overcoat and handed it back to him. "It's starting to snow again...you're gonna need your coat." Jessica smiled as she looked up at the falling snow, walking backwards as she moved away from where Aubrey was standing. "Have you ever tried to catch snowflakes on your tongue?" She giggled as she tilted her head back and stuck her tongue out.

"Of course...I went to college at Syracuse. You know how much snow they get there?" Aubrey smiled at her delight with the snowfall. As smart as she was, Jessica still had a sense of whimsy and childlike wonder, and he was completely entranced by that. Her cheeks were flushed a delicate rosy pink with the cold, and her green eyes sparkled with exhilaration as she felt the snowflakes brushing her face. _She's so beautiful..._

Jessica was walking backwards and spinning around as she tried to catch snowflakes on her tongue, not really aware of where she was in relation to the street. Suddenly she found herself in the path of a car that was speeding toward her, its horn blaring a loud warning.

"Jessica! Look out!" Sprinting to the curb, Aubrey grabbed her arm and, pulling her out of the way of the car, he lost his balance and pulled her over on top of him. He found himself lying on the sidewalk with her in his arms as he looked up into her beautiful green eyes. "Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you? God, you scared me, Jess…you gotta be more careful..."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Smiling, she quirked an eyebrow at him. "It looks like you really are faster than a speeding bullet, Superman…" She giggled as she kissed him again. "You're melting my gelato…"

Reaching up to brush the hair from her eyes, Aubrey grinned. "Maybe we should get up off the sidewalk…" As they stood up, Aubrey sighed in relief as he realized Jessica wasn't injured. "Whew…" He brushed the snow and dirt from his coat as he chuckled. "Listen, Jessica, if you didn't want to wait any longer for me to kiss you, there are easier ways to let me know than trying to get hit by a car." Still shaky from the adrenaline rush he'd just experienced, he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly before taking her hand in his and giving her another big grin. "Let's go have some soup."


	5. Chapter 5 Soup and Cookies

A/N: The second part of this chapter has a bit of steam between our two main protagonists as requested by mphs95 in her Christmas wish list. If that's not really your thing, you can skip that part without missing a lot of the plot. This gratuitous bit of steam is probably rated T+. I tried to be tasteful, but it seems I'm a bit rusty at writing steam...sorry about that. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Laura

* * *

It was 7 o'clock in the evening when Aubrey followed Jessica up the stairs to her small apartment. They'd often been to each other's apartment, but both of them realized that this time the visit meant something very different...that for them there would be a new version of 'normal'. The air was crackling with the electricity between them now, leaving both of them feeling something that went far beyond the boundaries of being colleagues or of being just good friends. Tapping his foot nervously as Jessica unlocked the door, Aubrey quickly followed her inside, trying to decide what his next move should be. _Just play it cool, Jimmy boy...she likes you, alright? No need to force the issue._ He cleared his throat as he loosened his shirt collar. "What can I do to help with dinner?"

Jessica laughed as she hung her coat on the rack by the door. "Trust me...there's not enough room for both of us in my kitchen. Make yourself at home. It'll only take a few minutes to warm up the soup."

Aubrey took off his overcoat and suit jacket and lay them across the back of a small armchair before shedding his tie and rolling up his sleeves. He stood leaning against the arched entrance to her kitchen, watching with interest as she got out a saucepan and emptied the contents of a large plastic container into it. Not sure exactly what to say to start a casual conversation after such an emotionally charged turn of events, he went with something relatively safe. "I really do like your apartment, Jessica…it's cozy."

"In other words, it's tiny, right?" Jessica shrugged, smiling as she stirred the soup and buttered some bread. "I know it's small but I don't really need a lot of space since I'm not home very much." She pulled some bowls and plates from the cabinet above the stove and handed them to Aubrey, along with some silverware from a nearby drawer. "Here...you can put these on the table. I'm making some grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup." She stirred the contents of the pan again before taking a taste. "Okay, this is ready." After setting the pan and the sandwiches on the table, she turned and got two bottles of beer out of the refrigerator. "Here we go...a feast fit for superheroes…"

"This is really good…" Aubrey smiled with pleasure as he ate his soup, and not only because it tasted so good. In his mind's eye, he could see them having dinner together every evening just like this...just the two of them for a few years, until the baby came along. _Whoa, buddy...let's not get ahead of ourselves...she likes you, but she may not be ready for that shit yet…"_

"Aubrey? Do you want more soup?" Jessica tilted her head, watching her dinner companion, who appeared to be lost in thought as he stared at his empty bowl.

"What? Oh, yeah, please. You know, you can call me James, or Jamie, even Jimmy if you want. I mean, I guess it's not appropriate for you to call me Superman while we're investigating a crime scene with other people around, but you can use my first name." Aubrey grinned as he ladled more soup into his bowl. "Or maybe Agent Aubrey at the crime scene, and something else when it's just us...maybe even a pet name, like Pookie or Grumpy..."

"I know...the Aubrey thing is just habit. Maybe I'll call you James when it's just us, although I do like Superman better. Jimmy or Jamie sound like little kids' names to me." Jessica wrinkled her nose a bit as she stirred her soup. "Don't you think it's strange that Dr. Brennan calls her husband Booth? She never uses his first name…" Jessica cut her grilled cheese sandwich in half. "It took me awhile for me to get used to that, but it works for them, I guess…"

"Well, when they first started working together, that was the name she knew him by, and he doesn't mind. Booth hates his first name, so he mostly uses just his last name instead. And, you know, he calls her 'Bones', which is kind of a weird nickname for his wife, if you ask me." After emptying his soup bowl, Aubrey arched his eyebrow as he looked over Jessica's shoulder into the kitchen. "I believe you promised me some homemade sugar cookies, Ms. Warren. Wasn't that the enticement you used in order to get me to come to dinner this evening?"

"You're correct! One moment, please." Jessica took a large square plastic container from one of the kitchen cabinets. "Here you go…"

"Wow! They're frosted and decorated! This is great!" Aubrey took a big bite of a chocolate frosted reindeer with shaved coconut antlers. "And they taste as good as they look!"

"I'm glad you like them. When I lived in the educational cooperative, it was a tradition that we made sugar cookies every year around the winter holidays. It was one of our math projects, because we had to use fractions and measure the precise amounts of ingredients. Even though it's just me right now, I still wanted to make some sugar cookies. For me, it just wouldn't be Christmas without them, although I didn't bake ten dozen, like the original recipe makes." Jessica nibbled on a pale blue cookie star. "It wasn't easy cutting the recipe into fourths."

"Too bad you didn't make ten dozen...I'm pretty sure I could eat a lot more of these. Maybe baking cookies is one of Starfire's superpowers. These cookies are amazing." Taking three more cookies out of the box, Aubrey stood up and took his bowl to the sink. "Let's get the dishes done so we can watch the movie."

Jessica laughed to herself as she watched Aubrey moving around her kitchen. He really had made himself right at home in her place, and it wasn't difficult to imagine them sharing their meals like this every night. _I never thought I'd be the 'domestic bliss' type, but with him, I think I'd be willing to try anything…._

Aubrey and Jessica were soon huddled together on the couch in front of her small television in the darkened apartment as the opening credits of _Nightmare Before Christmas_ rolled across the screen. "I think this is one of the best Christmas movies I've ever seen", Jessica announced. "I love it...I love the music, I love the story, I love the stop action animation. I guess I love everything about it."

Nodding, Aubrey shrugged. "I like it, too, but for a really great Christmas movie, I like that one where the kid wants the BB gun... _A Christmas Story…_ you know, the one where his mom thinks he's gonna put his eye out? And I like _Home Alone,_ too. I still laugh when I watch that one, even though the whole premise of that movie is totally unbelievable. _"_

"That one is a classic." Jessica smiled as she snuggled closer to Aubrey. "I also like _Elf…"_

"Yeah, Bob Newhart is great in that one, but I think my all time favorite Christmas movie is _Galaxy Quest."_ Aubrey took a bite out of a sugar cookie and pointed at the television. "It's so funny…"

Jessica was confused. "Galaxy Quest isn't exactly a Christmas movie, is it? Isn't it about aliens meeting actors who play space explorers on television, only the aliens think the tv show is real?"

"Well, I guess it's not a Christmas movie in the strictest sense of the word, but it opened on Christmas Day in 1999, and I remember going to see it at the theater that day, so I always seem to associate it with Christmas."

"I guess that makes sense. Okay, now shush...I love this part…." Jessica giggled like a little girl as Jack Skellington began to sing.

Oooooooooo

Aubrey woke with a start, trying to get his bearings as he glanced around the dark apartment. He knew for sure that he wasn't home, but he couldn't quite remember where he was until he heard the soft moan next to him. Oh, yeah...he was at Jessica's apartment. Being a highly trained FBI agent, he quickly evaluated his situation. He was lying in the dark, on his back, on Jessica's couch, and Jessica was lying on top of him, with her head resting on his chest, and her arms wrapped around him. Judging from the tightness of his pants, the lower half of his body was enjoying itself immensely, especially as Jessica shifted her hips in her sleep, rubbing herself against his groin in a most stimulating manner. His baser instincts wanted her to keep moving against him like that, but, after much deliberation, he chose to take the high road instead, not wanting to take advantage of her as she slept. "Jessica…", he whispered softly. "Hey, Jess...you fell asleep. You need to wake up, darlin'...I gotta go home."

"Huh uh. No way." Her eyes were still closed as she wore a sleepy grin and pulled herself closer to him. "I'm too comfortable to get up. You gotta stay right where you are…"

"I can't, Jess…" He tried to glance at his watch in the dark. "I think it's almost midnight. "I gotta go home and get some rest. I gotta work tomorrow, remember?"

Jessica shifted again, eliciting a low groan from the man beneath her. She crossed her arms across his chest and rested her chin on her hands, gazing into his eyes. "You can rest here…" She wiggled her hips across his groin again before she leaned down to kiss him. "After we have some fun together…"

He inhaled sharply as he felt her firm breasts brush against his chest. "God, Jessica...what are you trying to do to me?" Aubrey tried to sit up on the couch, but Jessica moved to straddle his lap, giggling as she tenderly nipped at his ear.

"I'm trying to make you horny…" She shifted her hips so she was sitting on top of his arousal, grinding gently but insistently against him. "And from what I can tell through my pants, I'm doing a good job, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you're definitely turning me into a man of steel right now...hmph." Aubrey was interrupted by a passionate kiss. Slightly breathless, he shook his head as he put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing her arms gently. "But, listen, Jess, I gotta go…"

"Are you sure?" She ran her fingers lightly down his chest, stopping along the way to unbutton his shirt so she could tease her fingernails across a well defined muscle here and there before fidgeting with the button on the waistband of his pants. "I think you should stay with me tonight…it's too cold to sleep alone. Besides, I'm an expert in kinesiology, and I'm very limber. I think you'd find me to be a very stimulating sex partner..."

 _Once a squint, always a squint…_ "Believe me, Jessica…" He groaned again as she pulled out his shirt tail and ran her fingers under the waistband of his boxers. "I'd like to stay, but I didn't exactly come prepared for this sort of thing to happen tonight…you know...I don't have any protection with me..."

"Is that all?" Jessica chuckled as she trailed kisses down his jaw. "I've got a box of condoms in the bathroom cabinet...top shelf…" She snickered at Aubrey's shocked expression. "I've got unmarried brothers, so I have supplies on hand for them if they decide to visit. You might as well use one if you want, but, on the other hand, you also might like to know that I'm on the pill…"

"Yeah, that's good to know, but it's not only that." Aubrey sighed, pausing as he tried to get his thoughts in order. "Jess, listen...that's good, being ready like that when you're with someone, but that's not the only thing I'm concerned about when it comes to making love to you. I mean, you're a beautiful woman, and any man in his right mind would want you...would want to be with you..." He cradled her face in his hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb, wondering how to explain it to her without making her uncomfortable, but he knew she had understand his intentions before things went any further. _I might as well tell her the truth..._ "but the truth is that I'm in love with you, Jessica...you know that, right? I think you're so beautiful and so special...more special than any woman I've ever known, and I don't want to ruin the wonderful thing that might happen between us for just a one night stand. This isn't some random game between us, you know? I don't want this to be something we do simply because we're both horny. I'm playing for keeps. I don't want it to be one and done between us, alright? So if that's all you want from me, I'm gonna have to say thanks for the soup and cookies, and go home."

Jessica paused, searching Aubrey's face for any hint that he might not be telling her the truth. She knew he was physically attracted to her, and so she was surprised to think that he might turn down the opportunity to have sex with her, but after hearing everything he'd said…

She silently nodded as she reached up to caress his face and to run her hand through his thick dark hair. "I understand completely, James, and I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me how you feel about me." She bit her lip, looking away shyly as she avoided his intense gaze. "Here's my side of the story...the truth from me, too, okay? I love you very much, and it's not a 'one night stand' kind of love, James. It's an 'I want to have grilled cheese sandwiches and vegetable soup with you for the rest of my life' kind of love. It's an 'I don't care if you aren't really Superman' kind of love. I think it's a once in lifetime kind of love…and I want to share it with you. Please stay with me tonight...let's share our love for each other. Please?"

A silly grin spread across Aubrey's face as he realized what Jessica had said. "You love me like that?"

Jessica rolled her eyes as she nodded emphatically. "Yes...that's what I just said, isn't it? I love you."

"God...that is so great...you love me…" Aubrey pulled her toward him so he could kiss her. "And you want me to stay here with you tonight...because you love me? Wow...that is amazing…" Running his hands from Jessica's shoulders to her hips, he sighed happily as he looked up at her, reaching up to brush her hair away from her eyes. "You're so beautiful...and you really love me, right? This isn't some sort of squinty experiment, is it? You not just trying to get in my pants so you can say you've been with Superman, are you?" He chuckled as she pretended to scowl and playfully swatted at his arm. "I love you so much, Jessica…"

"Yeah?" She gave him a flirty grin as she pulled her tee shirt off and threw it on the floor. "Prove it, Superman…show me how much you love me..."

"As you wish…" Moaning softly in anticipation, Aubrey reached behind her back to unclasp her lacy pink bra. He gently lowered the straps and slowly pulled the garment away from her body, gasping in pleasure as the delicate pale skin and the rosy peaks of her breasts were revealed to him. Palming her right breast and running his thumb over the nipple, he gently licked and nibbled at the peak of her left breast as Jessica threw her head back in pleasure, mewling softly as she moved against his erection. Pulling her closer, he laid tender kisses under her ear and down her neck, and then across her collarbones, breasts, and abdomen until she thought she might just die from the passionate fire he was creating in her body. Jessica moaned as she felt herself responding to his urgent need to show her how much he loved her...his hands seemed to be everywhere, caressing her, holding her, molding her flesh, the rough tips of his fingers and his tongue trailing feathery soft touches all over her body as he murmured sweet nothings about his feelings for her. His touch gradually got more intense, more fevered, more purposeful, and she was panting heavily, pushing her body against his hand as he brushed his fingers up and down the zipper of her pants. He gently pushed his hand between her thighs and began to use his talented fingers to massage her through her slacks until she almost screamed with anticipation as she arched her back, bucking her hips toward him, wanting him so badly. Slowly turning her on her side as she lay on him, he kissed her deeply before reaching down to unbutton the waistband of her slacks. He slowly lowered the zipper, running the back of his hand and his fingertips lightly across her lower abdomen before dipping his fingers gently into the front of her bikini briefs, brushing his fingers across her damp, tender skin, tickling and teasing her, first with one finger and then with two and three, squeezing her buttocks as his nimble fingers moved steadily toward their ultimate goal. He held her close as she clung to him, stroking her gently but firmly as she started to quiver and shudder under his touch. He murmured softly, urging her on toward her release. "You like that, don't you, darlin'? Feels good, doesn't it? Do you like it when I make you feel this way, Jessie? Aw, there it is...there's that sweet spot...C'mon, baby...let go...c'mon..."

Aubrey's fingers became increasingly insistent and determined, giving her more and more friction, pushing deeper and deeper until Jessica thought she might not be able to breathe from the sheer ecstasy she was feeling, bringing her closer and closer to the brink as he ran his tongue once more across the flushed peaks of her heaving breasts. It felt so good to have him next to her like this, making her feel like this...making her body hum and vibrate with love and desire for him. She wanted more of him, wanted him closer...so much closer...she clutched at the front of his shirt, twisting against his hand, trying to drive his fingers deeper into her body...

"I love you so much, Baby…", he whispered tenderly. "...more than you'll ever know…"

He loved her...wanted her...cherished her...hearing him say that was her undoing. She bucked hard against his long fingers a few more times before reaching a shattering orgasm. "Oh, God...Superman…", she panted. She collapsed against him, breathing heavily as she came down from her high. "That was…it was..."

"Super?" They both laughed Aubrey's corny joke. After a few more minutes of peacefully lying in Aubrey's arms, Jessica slipped from his grasp and rose from the couch, picking up her clothes before sauntering away from him.

"Hey, there, Missy...just where do you think you're going?", Agent Aubrey growled from his perch on the sofa.

She turned to give him a naughty grin as she pulled the rubber band from her ponytail and shook out her hair. "Well, I guess it's your turn now. I'm want to show you how much I love you. Care to join me in the bedroom?" Arching an eyebrow, she licked her lips and grinned. "Besides...I want to see if you're actually more powerful than a locomotive…"


	6. Chapter 6 Afterglow

Agent Aubrey grunted softly as he stumbled off the elevator and wandered slowly toward his office. He glanced at his watch again, wondering how 9 AM had managed to come so much earlier today than it normally did. _I'm really late...it's a good thing I've got some comp time coming…_ He removed his coat and hung it up on the rack by the door before sitting at his desk, still half asleep, scrubbing his hand over his face as he tried to start up his computer in a futile attempt to get some work done. _What is that goddamn password again? Oh, yeah...I had to change it last week._ He chuckled to himself as he typed in the word he'd chosen: Redhead1. _Yeah, that's it…_ Scratching his chin, Aubrey shook his head, craning his neck from side to side as he tried to work out the morning kinks. "Coffee...I need some coffee…", he muttered to himself. He stretched and yawned in his chair before he stood up. "Must have coffee…"

As he walked down the hall to the breakroom, Aubrey couldn't help but replay the previous night in his mind one more time. Two blissful hours of incredible, mindblowing sex last night with the woman he loved... _Jessica's right...she really is limber...I never imagined in my wildest dreams she could bend and twist like that...kinesiology is great, if it helps her learn to move like that during sex._ Being a conscientious employee, he'd risen at six this morning so he could go home to get cleaned up for work, but after some encouragement, he'd opted instead for thirty minutes in the shower with Jessica before breakfast, not counting the mere two minutes it actually took him to get clean. _God, that was a great shower...Jessica is so good with her hands…and that tongue...Jesus…._ Aubrey squirmed a bit in his slacks, remembering how she'd greeted him that morning while the warm water poured over both of them, wondering if just the memory of her settling on her knees between his legs, licking him and taking him into her mouth like that would be enough to send him over the edge. _What was it she said? Oh, yeah...just like eating a candy cane...Christ...I gotta quit thinking about that stuff at work..._ Jessica had tried to fix breakfast for both of them in her tiny kitchen, wearing nothing but her camisole and panties, but instead of eating they'd indulged in some very intense, very messy 'good morning' sex on the kitchen table... _Who knew pancakes could be that much fun...but the maple syrup got really sticky, didn't it?..._ and then another quick solo shower to remove the remnants of his breakfast activities. He'd rushed to his apartment for another quick bite to eat and some clean clothes so he wouldn't have to do the walk of shame when he came to the Hoover this morning. He was exhausted, but God...it had been worth every single second. It had been the most amazing night of his life. Remembering that Jessica had promised more fun and games for later that evening, Aubrey wore a broad smile as he finally ambled into the break room, only to be met by his supervisor, Special Agent in Charge Booth.

"Mornin', Aubrey. Glad to see you finally made it into the office." Booth took one look at Aubrey's slightly dazed expression and snickered into his coffee mug. He recognized that goofy smile on Aubrey's face...the sort of smile that usually indicated that the wearer of said smile was a freshly laid man, just lately come from his girlfriend's bed. "Doin' alright today? You look happy...and relaxed…"

 _Dammit! He knows, doesn't he? I'll never hear the end of this..._ "Yeah, I'm great." Avoiding Booth's amused gaze, Aubrey grabbed his mug from the rack by the sink and poured himself some coffee, taking a long drink of the bitter day old brew as he turned toward Booth. "What's up?"

"Nothing new. I just wondered how you and Ms. Warren made out last night." Booth bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud at Aubrey's consternation. "Uncover anything new, exciting, and different while you two were together? Anything you couldn't handle on your own? Are you ready to nail somebody with some bone Jessica found?"

Aubrey almost sprayed coffee all over his boss as he sputtered out his answer. "What?"

"You know, at the crime scene...the airport? What did you two find at the airport?" Booth chuckled softly as he poured himself some more coffee and started another pot to brew. "Did you two screw…" Booth paused as he took a sip of his coffee. "...anything up while you were at the crime scene? I mean, I'm sure you were thorough in how you two handled things...no rush to finish the job, right? I'm sure you took it slow and easy, and got it right the first time. You didn't rush through things in a frenzy, did you? Because if you did, you'd just end up having to do it all over again to make sure you did it right. I know you checked out every single inch of the scene, looking for clues. You know, how those squints are...they get off on that sort of thing...they find a pubic hair somewhere weird or unexpected, and they get all hot and bothered, and taking fluid samples at a crime scene can make them downright horny…they can almost have an orgasm over finding a bone, right? But you know how to score...how to get results, don't you, Aubrey? You get down and dirty until the job's done, and you don't quit until you get what you need." Leaning against the counter in the break room, Booth studied his protege' with amusement as he continued. "I want to make sure no evidence gets compromised because my agent felt a need to go real hot and heavy into this investigation. As the lead on the case, you can get into some tight squeezes, you know? But you gotta be firm when you lead an investigation...hard as a rock, right? You might find yourself into the middle of something you hadn't planned on, but you keep pushing through over and over again, no matter what...even when you get thrust into the spotlight, you just keep at it, and when you've reached that point where you know you've got it done right, and you've made other people happy, there's this really awesome feeling of release and satisfaction that washes over you in waves, and it's such a sweet reward for a job well done, you know? A lot of guys find that sort of thing to be almost sexy...makes'em feel like a real stud, having the ability to satisfy others so well..."

Narrowing his eyes at his 'friend', Aubrey took another sip from his cup. "I know how to handle a case, Booth. It's not like I'm not some green kid right out of Quantico. Ms. Warren took a lot of photographs of the crime scene, and and she recovered several fluid samples. I was just there because she needed a ride back to the Jeffersonian. Dr. B had to leave early because she had to take a conference call of some sort. We made sure everything was taken care of properly when we delivered the evidence to the Jeffersonian…"

Booth grinned at his buddy. "Yeah, I bet you did. Anyway, I'm glad things are progressing on the case. Bones said she hoped they'd have an ID and cause of death later today so we can notify next of kin. I'd like to have this case wrapped up before Christmas." Rinsing out his mug, Booth set it on the rack to dry. "Speaking of Christmas, Bones and I were wondering if you'd like to come to dinner on Christmas Eve...you and a date, if you want. Hodgins and Angela will be there...probably Cam and Arastoo...it's just a casual thing…"

"Yeah, I'd like that. I don't think I'm going to the office Christmas party next week...I want to avoid Karen…" Aubrey paused as he poured himself another cup of coffee. "...but I do like to celebrate the holiday. I'll probably come over Christmas Eve…"

"Good. We'll look forward to seeing you and Jessica…" Booth winked knowingly at Aubrey. "This is gonna be a special Christmas for you, my friend. Did you figure out what to get her for a Christmas gift?"

Sighing with exasperation, Aubrey grimaced. "No...but I'm sure I'll come up with something soon. Hey, I gotta get back to work…"

"That's what I like...a dedicated agent. Okay...let me know how the airport case is coming along, alright?"

Booth smiled as Aubrey walked back to his office, happy that his little scheme had obviously achieved the desired goal. He took out his phone and sent a quick text to his wife. _Aubrey + Jessica + plan = successful hookup._

A few seconds later, his text alert chimed. _Excellent. I find I'm very pleased with that bit of news._ _Your plan evidently was quite instrumental in assisting their sexual coupling. I hope they are both very happy._ Booth shook his head and laughed as he strolled back to his office. That was his wife all over. Not many people were so worried about having their text messages being both precise and grammatically correct.

oooooooooo

"Excellent work, Ms. Warren. Dr. Hodgins was very pleased with both the quantity and the quality of the fluid samples you took from the crime scene yesterday." Brennan nodded at her intern as they stood over the remains on the table. "I assume you found Agent Aubrey to be a satisfactory agent to work with while you were taking samples at the crime scene…."

Jessica held her lower lip between her teeth to keep from smiling in a completely unprofessional manner, knowing it was an unacceptable violation of protocol to giggle happily over a decedent's remains. However, in spite of her efforts to appear calm, she felt herself blush slightly as she responded to her mentor. "Agent Aubrey was quite satisfactory, Dr. Brennan. He assisted me in many ways yesterday." Jessica shifted from one foot to the other as her body tingled in memory of Aubrey's caress. _In many ways?...oh, yeah….did he ever assist me..._

"He seems to be easy to work with, and he has some knowledge of the workings of the human body, so I've found him to be quite helpful when working at a crime scene involving a murder." Dr. Brennan moved to the end of the table to study the skull. "Booth thinks Aubrey is an exceptional agent…he finds Aubrey to be very talented and efficient, and he's certain that Aubrey will have a successful career with the FBI."

Remembering how Aubrey had made her moan, shudder, and scream his name during her multiple orgasms last night, Jessica found herself agreeing with Dr. Brennan. Aubrey did know a lot about how the human body worked, and he was most certainly exceptionally talented and quite successful in the love making department. "We worked well together yesterday, and I hope we can continue to investigate crime scenes together in the future."

"I'm sure you do.", Brennan commented dryly as she handed the skull to Jessica. "Ms. Warren, look at this damage to the front of the skull right here...what might account for this type of damage?"

"The extent of the damage to the nasal bone, the glabella, and the frontal bone suggests the victim was struck in the face by a heavy object...most likely something heavier than a fist...a wooden baseball bat?" Jessica turned the skull in her hands, her brow furrowing as she did so. "On second thought, I'm not sure it was a bat…"

"Why is that, Ms. Warren?" Brennan stood with her arms crossed over her chest, watching her intern as she examined the skull closely.

"The fracturing is more localized and there are fewer scattered small fragments such as would be expected with a large cylindrical object such as a bat. To me, this looks like the damage was caused by one large, sharp blow to the forehead, probably by a stationary object...like maybe the deceased fell face first against something very hard…"

"Very good work, Ms. Warren. I believe you are correct. The deceased probably hit something as she fell. We'll have Dr. Hodgins swab for particulates…." Brennan was interrupted as Angela walked up the steps to the platform.

"Her name was Marta Luther, age 45. She was reported missing by her husband about four weeks ago. He said she went to the grocery store in her Chevrolet Impala one Saturday morning and never came home." Angela held up the decedent's picture. "She was petite...just barely five feet tall, which is probably why she fit in the trunk of the car where she was found."

Brennan turned to Ms. Warren as she removed her gloves. "It appears we have our victim's identity and an apparent cause of death. Please ask Dr. Hodgins to swab the fractures before you clean the bones to see if there's information about what she may have struck when she fell. Hopefully, the particulates weren't completely compromised by the drain cleaner. Also, be sure to pass this information along to Agent Aubrey. I'll be in my office."

"Did you get all of that, Jessica?" Angela smiled as she came over to stand by the intern. "You did a really good job of taking pictures at the crime scene yesterday, Sweetie, but a word to the wise, just between us...you don't need to take pictures of the agent you're working with…"

Jessica gasped as her cheeks flushed scarlet. "Oh, my God...please tell me you're joking…"

"Nope. I printed these off for you." Shaking her head, Angela laughed as she handed Jessica some photographs. "I know you didn't mean to do it, but you've got some shots of Aubrey in here with the remains. Not that I blame you...he's a cutie. Just be a bit more careful, okay?"

"Okay, I promise." Thoroughly mortified, Jessica put the photographs in the pocket of her lab coat. Glancing at her watch, she grinned at Angela. "It's almost lunch time. I'd better go give Agent Aubrey the information we've uncovered about our case…"

"You do that, Sweetie." Angela smiled and nodded as she watched Jessica hurry down the steps. It looked like Aubrey was going to have a very good lunch today.

Oooooooooo

Aubrey glanced at the time on his computer. It was almost noon, and he was getting a little bit hungry, but he decided to finish what he was working on before taking his lunch break. Looking out of the door of his office, he wondered if Jessica might come by to see him, maybe to bring him some news about the investigation, and, if he was lucky, some more soup and some of those wonderful sugar cookies. He was a lucky man...not only was his girlfriend sexy, smart and beautiful, but she was a good cook, too, and for a man as interested in food as Aubrey was, that was definitely the icing on the cake as far as their relationship was concerned. His mind soon drifted to a totally different scenario than the case he was working on... _Hmm...icing...the reindeer sugar cookies Jessica made had chocolate icing on them...with coconut...Jessica wearing nothing but chocolate icing with maybe a bit of strategically placed coconut...me licking the coconut and chocolate icing off of Jessica...Jessica spreading chocolate icing on me and licking it off with that cute little pink tongue..._ Shifting uncomfortably in his seat as his groin began to respond to his vivid daydreams, Aubrey struggled to regain his focus. _Dammit, man! You have to concentrate on the case! You have work to do. You can play with the icing later!_ Shaking off those very pleasant thoughts of his girlfriend, cookies, and chocolate icing, he typed in the information he had about the abandoned car from yesterday's crime scene into the computer.

 _2003 Blue Chevrolet Impala Maryland tag number GR 9645_

A name soon popped up on the computer screen: The car was registered to Gary Luther, age 47, a plumber from Annapolis, Maryland. Aubrey checked to see if that name had been entered into the FBI's data base for some reason, and when the name showed up again, Aubrey nodded in grim satisfaction as he began to posit a scenario. Gary Luther had reported his wife missing four weeks ago. She'd left in the blue Impala on a Saturday morning, supposedly to go grocery shopping, and she hadn't been heard from since. _He's a plumber, and Dr. Saroyan said she thought the victim's body had been doused with drain cleaner...a coincidence? I don't think so._ The FBI techs had made their initial cursory exam of the car, and so far the only prints they'd found were those of Gary Luther and his wife, Marta. _Maybe a carjacker who wears gloves? Not likely...carjackings are usually crimes of opportunity._ Aubrey called the Annapolis police department, asking for information they might have on Luther, and found that the locals were quite familiar with him. They'd responded to several domestic disturbance calls at the house, and his wife had filed a protective order against him right before she disappeared. _So if the victim is identified as his wife, given his background, we have probable cause to bring the husband in for questioning…_ Aubrey made a note to call the airport's security office again about getting the video from the cameras in the parking garage. With any luck at all, they'd get a glimpse of the person who'd parked the car there and left it to serve as the dead woman's grave.

Aubrey sent an email to Booth, suggesting that they question Gary Luther again about his wife's disappearance. Pleased that he'd made some progress on the case, Aubrey turned to put some files away when he heard a feminine voice at his door.

"Jimmy?", the breathy voice whispered huskily.

"Yep, that's me…" A smiling Aubrey turned around quickly, hoping it was Jessica teasing him, but he was sorely disappointed when he saw his visitor. "Oh, hi, Karen…"


	7. Chapter 7 The Visitor

_A/N: Please remember this story is AU, so things may be different from our show's canon, or slightly exaggerated. I still don't own the Bones characters. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Thanks._

* * *

Clearing his throat nervously, Aubrey concentrated on his keyboard, typing rapidly as he tried to avoid the profiler's leering gaze. "So, um...what do you want, Karen? I don't really need a profiler for the case I'm working on right now. We're pretty sure we know what we're dealing with here. The victim's death was probably the result of a domestic dispute. Anyway, I was just leaving…" Aubrey shut down his computer and stood up, grabbing his phone and dropping it in his pocket before taking his suit jacket from the back of his chair and shrugging into it. "I'll see you later…"

Batting her eyelashes behind her glasses as she stood leaning against the doorway, Karen Delfs tilted her head coyly as she pretended to pout. "Do I really need a reason to stop by your office to see you, Jimmy?", she said in a syrupy tone of voice . "I thought we were friends. I just wanted to chat for a few minutes. Friends can do that...they can drop by unannounced to have a little chat, right?"

"Yeah, well...I guess so, but I'm getting ready to leave. I'm sorry I can't stay, but I have things to do. I guess you should've called first…" Aubrey tried to reach for his overcoat, but Karen moved to stand between him and the coat rack.

"Oh, are you going to lunch? I'd be glad to join you, Jimmy. I'm sure you don't like to eat alone…" She gave him a flirty grin as she giggled girlishly, rapidly closing the gap between the two of them. "I can be great company, you know. I'm a great conversationalist. I'm sure I'm so much better to talk to than that silly intern from the Jeffersonian that I've seen you with from time to time. What's her name? Jennifer? Josie? Something like that. Anyway, I think you need a real woman to keep you company at lunch, not a little girl..." She smirked as she ran her fingers down his necktie. "You need someone who has the right kind of experience to keep you satisfied, and I'd be very willing to share my experience with you..."

Aubrey cringed at the unwanted attention he was receiving from his visitor. "Okay, Karen, this is getting really weird, alright? Enough already...you're making me really uncomfortable here. I mean, we can be colleagues, and maybe even friends, but I'm not interested in pursuing any sort of romantic or intimate relationship with you… so stop." He firmly pushed her hand away from his shirt and backed away from her, sitting on the corner of his desk as he eyed her warily. "You're supposed to be a professional profiler, right? A psychologist?" Pausing as he tried to think of a tactful way to explain things to Karen, but wanting to set clear boundaries, Aubrey decided that a straightforward explanation would work better. "Look, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I think you should put that psychology degree to use, okay? You really should've figured out by now that I don't feel that way about you. Surely you know that this sort of unwelcome, overtly sexual behavior toward me isn't appropriate for the office…"

"Oh, relax and get over yourself." She smiled as she gave him an airy wave of her hand. "Don't be such a fuddy-duddy, Jimmy. It's not like I want a long term relationship with you. I'm just trying to have some fun like everyone else in the office. You know there must be hundreds of agents banging each other every chance they get in the storage closets all over this building. I mean, look at Special Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan...you know they must've done it in his office hundreds of times…" Karen reached out to caress Aubrey's shoulders, but he moved off of his desk and ducked out of the way, trying to move toward the office door. Unfortunately, Karen moved to stand in his way, giving him a big wink. "Oh, I get it now. You want to play chase…"

Glowering at her, Aubrey held up his hand to interrupt her. "Stop it. Don't even go there, Karen, alright? Listen, Booth is my friend as well as my boss, and I don't want to hear whatever sort of worthless shit you have to say about him or about Dr. B, either, for that matter. Anyway, this isn't about everyone else, Karen. This is about you and me, except there is no you and me, you know? Not like that, anyway. I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression about what my feelings are toward you, but I'm not interested in you like that. And by the way...I don't want to hear you say anything else negative about Ms. Warren, either. Jessica is my colleague, and I won't let you run her down like that. She may be an intern, but she's intelligent and highly trained..." Aubrey put his hand on Karen's arm and gently tried to move her out of the way so he could get his coat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving."

Karen caught his arm but he pulled away. "Wait, Jimmy...you can't leave yet. You haven't heard why I came by your office to see you. I want you to come to the office Christmas party with me, as my date." She ran her fingers along the low cut neckline of her blouse, licking her lips provocatively as she whispered suggestively. "I can make it worth your while, if you know what I mean…we'll have lots of fun under the mistletoe..."

Aubrey rolled his eyes as he shook his head in disgust. "You can't be serious, Karen.", he growled. "No way. I mean, it's got to be obvious by now that I'm not going anywhere with you ever. Besides, I'm in a serious relationship with someone. I have a girlfriend..." He took his overcoat from the rack and glared at her. "I'm leaving now, but I guess you can stay here in my office as long as you want. Just don't be here when I get back."

"Oh, okay…", Karen sighed. "But just in case you change your mind, here's my card. Call me." She took the small business card and tucked it into Aubrey's shirt pocket, patting him on the chest before running her hand towards his waist. Standing practically nose to nose with him, she gave him a predatory smile as she arched her eyebrow and stroked his tie once more. "I could just gobble you up right now, Jimmy, but I'll be patient. I know you'll come around to my way of thinking sooner or later, probably when you need to release the sexual frustration that builds up inside while you work with that childish little Miss Sassypants. I'll be glad to help you out with that problem whenever you want." With that, Karen patted Aubrey on the butt and turned to leave, swinging her hips suggestively as she walked away from his office.

"Yeah...like I'd ever be that desperate.", he muttered as he put on his coat. Realizing he'd left his phone on his desk, Aubrey picked it up and was checking for messages as he heard someone clearing their throat in the doorway.

"Um, Agent Aubrey?" Agent Allen, a rookie fresh out of Quantico, stood nervously in the doorway, twisting the top of a paper sack.

 _Jesus...now what?_ "Yeah, what is it, Allen? I'm getting ready to go to lunch…" Aubrey drummed his fingers on his desk impatiently.

"You had another visitor while Ms. Delfs was in your office, sir. She left this for you…" Allen held up a paper bag. "...and she asked me to give you this note…" Allen handed Aubrey a folded sheet of paper.

"Let me see that." Aubrey grabbed the note from Allen and silently read what it said.

 _James,_

 _The victim's name was Marta Luther. She died from a hard blow to her face...most likely she fell into something hard, which fractured her nasal bone, glabella and frontal bone, sending bone fragments into her brain._

 _I stopped by to bring you some lunch, but I saw that you were very busy. I hope you and your friend enjoy the soup and the cookies. J._

Feeling his stomach lurch as he read the last line, Aubrey swore under his breath as he folded up the note and tossed it on his desk. "This visitor...she's a redhead, right? Pretty? Mid-twenties?"

"Yeah...how did you know? Here…" Allen put the bag on Aubrey's desk. "I think maybe she was unhappy about something, Agent Aubrey. She looked irritated when she left…she kinda stomped over to the elevator…"

"Jesus…" Aubrey ran his hand down his face as he shook his head. "Okay, thanks, Allen. I'll take care of it." Allen shrugged and turned to leave before Aubrey stopped him. "Hey, Allen...how long ago did this visitor leave?"

Glancing at his watch, Allen grimaced slightly. "A few minutes ago, I guess. She was walking up to your office door, but she stopped and stood there for a few minutes, like maybe she was trying to decide what to do, before she turned around and left. I don't know if she heard what you were talking about or not, but she looked pretty upset. She asked me for a piece of paper and scribbled out the note…"

"Great. That's just fucking great. Thanks." Annoyed as he sat down at his desk, Aubrey waved for Allen to leave before opening the bag, where he found a container of vegetable soup and a small bag of sugar cookies. _So Jessica was here...she saw Karen pawing at me...surely she heard me say I wasn't interested, right? I gotta call her to make sure!_ Picking up his phone, he tried to call his girlfriend. Her phone rang a few times before going to voicemail. "Jessica, I need to talk to you. Call me back right away." After waiting nervously for a few minutes with no response, he called again. "Jessica, please call me. It's not about the case. I want to talk to you about something else. It's important. Please call me back as soon as you get this message." Suddenly, Aubrey's appetite was gone, and having lunch didn't seem nearly as important as it did a few minutes ago. He quickly fired off a text. _Jessica...call me as soon as you can!_

After a few minutes with no response, Aubrey stood up and grabbed his overcoat, phone, and keys. Since Jessica wasn't answering her phone, he'd just go over to the lab and talk to her in person. He couldn't stand the idea that she might think he was involved with Karen, especially after last night. He had to talk to Jessica...he had to get this straightened out now.

"Aubrey?"

"Goddammit! What the hell do you want now?", Aubrey snarled as he whirled around and looked at his visitor. "Oh...hi, Booth…"

Booth was obviously shocked at his calm, genteel partner's angry reaction. "Hey, is everything okay?", Booth asked as he leaned against the office door frame. "Have you had a chance to look at the security video from the airport parking garage?"

"Things are just fine...I was just gonna have some lunch." He pointed to the bag on his desk. "Jessica brought me some soup…and, no...no video yet. I'm not sure if that jackass who runs security at the airport even knows what he's doing. Goddamn idiot needs to get his head out of his ass..." Aubrey checked his phone, hoping to see that he'd missed a call, but to no avail. "It's a good thing we aren't looking for some fucking terrorists or they'd already be out bombing the goddamn country while the guy was trying to figure out how to answer his email."

"Alright, no problem. Just calm down...no big deal." Booth held up his hands in mock surrender. "We'll get Agent Allen to call the airport's security office again, okay? If the video is digital, maybe they can send to us via email. Anyway, I guess you'll have to save the soup for tomorrow's lunch. I just got a hit on the APB I put out on Gary Luther this morning. He's in jail in a town outside of Annapolis...a place called Edgewater. They picked him up for driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance yesterday, and he couldn't get anybody to post bail for him, so he's still there. Let's go talk to him about his wife. We can get lunch on the way."

"Yeah, okay. I'll put the soup in the fridge on the way out." Aubrey grimaced as he checked his phone again. _Still nothing from Jessica._ Trying to hide his disappointment, he nodded. "Let's go."

Oooooooooo

Dr. Hodgins was busily working in his laboratory, focusing his microscope on one of the particulate samples that had been taken from Marta Luther's skull. "Hmm...interesting…" Hearing a small cough and a tentative knock on the door frame, he turned and smiled. "Oh, hey, Jessica...what's up?"

Pinching her lips together, she shrugged slightly as she avoided eye contact with him. "Um...Dr. Brennan was wondering if you've found anything new from the particulate samples you took this morning…" Hesitating slightly, Jessica waited in the doorway. "She'd also like to have the results of the analysis of the fluid samples that were taken from the crime scene yesterday."

"Actually, I was just looking at some of the particulates from the skull. Come on in and I'll show you what I've found." He motioned for Jessica to come look at the slide, and she complied reluctantly. "See those little bits of gray material in the sample? That's plagioclase feldspar. The black material is biotite mica, and the white material is milky quartz."

"Oh…" Jessica gave Hodgins a confused look. "I don't know what that means. Why would all of those different minerals be in her wound?"

"Based on the ratio of this combination of minerals...the relationship between the amounts of plagioclase, biotite, and quartz, I'd say that our victim fell and hit her head on something made from granite. This is a very specific kind of granite, called Juparana. It's from Brazil, and it's commonly cut into inch and a half slabs for kitchen counters…"

"So she fell against a kitchen counter?", Jessica asked in surprise as she looked at the slide again. "Could that really kill someone?"

Hodgins shrugged as he walked to the mass spectrometer to check the results from the last set of fluid samples. "That granite is really hard, like Mohs 7 or 8, so maybe, if she hit it just right, it might cause some serious damage. I guess we could try to recreate the skull damage in the lab, but that particular kind of granite is really expensive, and Cam has been on my case to spend less money on my experiments. I bet we can get Angie to run a computer simulation for us." Hodgins smiled as he glanced toward the office door. "Well, here's my lovely wife now."

Angela came breezing into Hodgins' lab. "Oh, hi, Jessica...say, how was lunch with your good buddy Aubrey this afternoon?"

"Fine, I guess." Jessica chewed her lip as she moved toward the office door. "I need to get back to work. I'll see you later, Dr. Hodgins…"

"Just a minute…" Hodgins beckoned the intern over to the mass spectrometer. "Here's the print out on the fluid samples you took. You and Aubrey did a good job yesterday working the crime scene. The samples show that the fluid consists of lye based drain cleaner and melted body fat, just as Cam thought, but I've been able to narrow down the specific type of drain cleaner. It's an industrial strength brand used by professionals. It's not sold on the retail market because it's so caustic."

"Okay, I'll tell Dr. Brennan. Thanks." Jessica turned to move to the door, wanting to leave as quickly as possible, hoping that Angela and Hodgins wouldn't notice how unhappy she was.

"What's wrong, Sweetie? You seem upset." Angela reached out to pat Jessica on the shoulder. "Did you and Agent Aubrey have a spat?"

Hodgins rolled his eyes, glaring at his wife. "Angela, that's none of your business! Jessica, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. Angela's just being nosy."

"It's alright, Curly. It's no big deal…" Jessica's lower lip began to quiver as she tried to control her emotions. "I just misunderstood things between Aubrey and me, that's all. I thought that we had a connection...but, never mind. I have to take these results to Dr. Brennan." A tear ran down her cheek. "I have to go…" Reaching up to brush another tear away, Jessica turned to leave. "Thanks…"

"Hold it." Angela shook her head at Jessica. "I saw those tears. If you think I'm gonna let you leave this office without knowing what's made you so upset, you're sadly mistaken, Ms. Warren." Smiling sweetly at the intern, Angela took her hand and led her over to a stool. "Let's hear it…maybe I can help."

Sniffling a bit, Jessica ran her knuckle underneath her eyes. "I went to take James some lunch today over at the Hoover. It wasn't anything fancy, just some soup and some cookies…I just wanted to stop by to say hello." She choked back a sob. "He had a visitor in his office...Ms. Delfs was there. She was…" Another sniffle betrayed her emotions as a stray tear escaped from her lashes. "...she was caressing him...stroking his chest...she was close enough to kiss him...and then she patted him on the butt as she left…"

Angela and Hodgins exchanged pointed glances, before Angela continued her questioning. "And how did Aubrey respond? What did he say? Did he act like he was enjoying himself?" Angela stood with her arms crossed over her chest. "Did he act like he was interested in her?"

Shrugging, Jessica continued. "I couldn't hear what they were saying, but he was standing real close to her...it didn't seem like he was fighting her off, so I assumed…"

"Oh, Jessica…" Hodgins smiled gently at the young woman. "You'd better not let Dr. Brennan find out that you've jumped to a conclusion about a situation without any real supporting evidence…"

"What? But I saw them…" Jessica shook her head and blew her nose. "Ms. Delfs acted like she and James were very intimate friends…"

"Based on the way he looks at you, Sweetie, I'm pretty sure Ms. Delfs is not the woman Aubrey wants to be intimate with…" Angela smirked at Jessica's confused expression. "I think it's probably more likely that Ms. Delfs made a play for him, but he wasn't interested. You know Aubrey's a laid back kind of guy. He's not really too much of a yeller, right? He's also got a very professional demeanor, so he's probably not going to raise his voice at Ms. Delfs while they're in his office, but I have no doubt he made his opinion on the subject known." Angela paused as the text alert on Jessica's phone chimed. "And I bet he's tried to call you about fifty times since you got back to the lab, right? And he's sent dozens of texts..."

Nodding, Jessica checked the message. "Yes, he has, but I don't know what to say to him...I was so surprised and upset when I saw them together. I think I must've been mistaken about what he wants from our relationship…"

"Listen, Jessica." Angela sat down opposite of the intern. "You've got to talk to Aubrey and listen to his side of the story, okay? I know it might be awkward at first, but you have so much to lose if you don't. I know...Hodgins and I…" Angela glanced at her husband and smiled sadly. "We broke up for awhile because we didn't listen carefully to each other. My ex-husband Grayson was in town, and Hodgins and I argued about him...and we began to think that we had no reason to trust each other any more. We talked at each other, but we didn't actually listen to what the other person was saying. We didn't rely on what we really knew about each other. We ignored what we'd had together and just took things at face value, which was so wrong. We were apart for a couple of years after that…."

Hodgins wore a somber expression as he remembered his heartbreak over the situation. Taking his wife's hand, he patted it gently. "I never stopped loving you, Angela...I tried, but I couldn't. I love you too much…I'm always gonna be your guy."

"I know, Jack. I just wished I'd realized that a lot sooner. It would've saved a lot of heartache." Sighing heavily, Angela turned back to Jessica. "Finally, we got to a point where we were able to not only talk to each other, but to listen to each other as well, and we discovered that our argument had been really silly, and that we'd broken up for basically no good reason. We decided to try to be together again, and here we are today, happily married with a child…" Jessica's phone chimed again. "Don't make the same mistake we did, Sweetie. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for what you saw, and, based on how many messages Aubrey has sent you, he's anxious to give that explanation to you. That in itself should tell you that you need to give him a chance to tell you his side, okay?"

Studying her phone, Jessica nodded. "I suppose so, but first I need to get the lab results to Dr. Brennan. I'm sure she's becoming quite impatient…"

Hodgins chuckled as he picked up the report from the mass spectrometer. "I'll take her the results. I'll need to explain the granite particulates to her anyway. You need to call Aubrey now, before he has a stroke…"


	8. Chapter 8 Trouble in Paradise

Booth gave Aubrey a sideways glance as the SUV sped down the highway toward Edgewater, Maryland. His normally talkative partner had been silently clenching his jaw as he repeatedly checked his phone. It was evident that something was bothering Aubrey tremendously, and Booth wondered if there was already trouble in the younger man's little corner of Paradise. Normally Booth wouldn't meddle so much in his partner's affairs, unless his partner was Bones, but he was worried the match that was supposed to be made in Heaven had already gone to Hell, and if that was the case, he felt like he might be somewhat responsible for Aubrey's black mood, especially seeing how he and Bones had tried to nudge the match along. _It might be easier to leave matchmaking to Angela after all._ "Sooo...you feeling alright this afternoon, Aubrey?"

"Yeah, of course…I'm fine." Aubrey wore a surly glare, obviously irritated at being drawn into some sort of inane conversation with his boss. "Why? What's the problem? I mean, I'm sorry about that whole airport security video fiasco, but I did the best I could. The moron in charge of security for the place couldn't find his ass with both hands..." Rolling his eyes, Aubrey sighed with exasperation as he stared out the passenger window. "I told Allen to threaten the guy with jail time for impeding a federal investigation if he didn't send us the video within the hour. Allen's still green, but he's good at that kind of thing. He'll take care of it."

"No, it's not about the goddamn video, okay?" Shaking his head as he checked the rear view mirror, Booth gripped the steering wheel, trying to stay calm even though it seemed that Aubrey was being deliberately obtuse, something that was completely out of character for him. "Look, Aubrey, you've hardly said two words since we left the Hoover. You only ate four grande sized beef and cheese tacos at lunch, without chips and salsa on the side, even though I was buying, and you've also been checking your phone every thirty seconds or so...but other than that, I guess there's not a problem, is there…just another day at work, right?" Booth scratched his chin, pretending to be deep in thought before shaking his finger at his passenger. "I call bull shit…"

Angry at being teased, Aubrey raised his voice to make his point. "Dammit! How many times do I have to tell you, Booth? There is no problem! I'm checking my phone because I'm expecting an important call, alright? Allen ought to be calling about the video any minute." Aubrey glanced at his phone as he whined petulantly. "And I had a big breakfast this morning, so I wasn't hungry enough for a big lunch…"

"Like having a big breakfast has ever stopped you from eating a big lunch before, especially if someone else is picking up the check." Booth snickered at Aubrey's grumbling and complaining before continuing in a sarcastic tone. "And besides, I imagine you were waaay too 'busy' this morning to have your usual big breakfast and mid-morning snack. I think you and Ms. Warren 'slept' in late today, right? And then you had to rush around so you could get to work at a respectable hour, and you didn't have time for the three egg, cheese, and ham omelet with the six pieces of bacon, a large side of hash browns and five slices of toast that you normally have for breakfast. So don't give me that 'I already ate' shit."

Considering everything that had happened over the last few hours, the last remark hit Aubrey just a little too close to home. "Just leave Jessica out of this discussion, okay, Booth? She's got nothing to do with it…" Aubrey's phone chimed and he lost no time in taking it out of his pocket to check it, his expression changing quickly from hopeful to dejected as he realized who'd texted him. "Agent Allen has received the video from airport security. He's having the agents in the cyber crimes division check it over to see if there's anything on it that will give us an idea of when the blue Chevy was parked down there, and, if we're lucky, who parked it." Disgusted, Aubrey put his phone back in his pocket and continued to stare out the car's passenger window.

"Well, that's something positive, I guess, but without a better handle on the time of death and a possible murder weapon, I don't think we're going to get very far with our interrogation of Gary Luther…" After waiting for Aubrey to say something, and getting no response, Booth tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he tried to get a rise from his friend. "I guess I forgot to tell you that me and Bones are gonna move to Los Angeles next month, so I'm planning on you taking over my job, and then you and Jessica can get married...maybe in Australia, or how about Morocco? You can have a destination wedding." Still getting no response from his preoccupied partner, Booth decided to up the ante a little bit. "On second thought, Aubrey, maybe I'll tell Director Stark that as an agent, you're a worthless piece of shit and that he should fire your ass because you got nothing going for you at all…" Nothing from the passenger seat. Finally Booth reached over and tapped Aubrey's shoulder. "Earth to Aubrey...come in, please…"

"Hmm? What?" Aubrey shook off his reverie. "Were you talking to me?"

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Booth looked up at the rear view mirror before he continued. "Okay, the truth. What's going on? And this time I'm not asking as your friend, I'm asking as your boss, so spill it. This sorry attitude you're wearing right now needs to be gone by the time we talk to Gary Luther, or we won't get anywhere with the guy, so let's hear it."

"It's nothing important, Booth." Aubrey shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Besides, it's personal…"

"Yeah, but now your personal life is affecting your work, and that ain't gonna fly. Listen, if you want to be a great special agent, you've got to figure out how to compartmentalize your emotions. You can't let a little spat with Jessica ruin your whole day or interfere with your work…" Booth shrugged as he looked at Aubrey. "Trust me. I know it's hard, but…"

"Okay, look...I didn't have a fight with Jessica...not really. That's part of the problem...she won't talk to me long enough for us to even have an argument. She won't answer her phone or my texts…" Aubrey shook his head. "I don't know how I can fix this problem, Booth, if she won't even talk to me…"

Booth was shocked. "What happened, Aubrey? I mean, when you came to work this morning, it was like you were just back from your honeymoon. You were goofy in love..."

"I know, and I still am..." A fleeting look of sadness crossed Aubrey's face. "Jessica's amazing…" Aubrey's text alert chimed, and he read the text to Booth. "Allen says the cyber guys have found the date of the first time the car is on the surveillance tape. It'll be five weeks ago this coming Saturday. The driver's face was somewhat obscured on the original video, but they're going to try enhancing it to see if they can get an ID on him...it looks to be a tall man."

Booth nodded as he listened to the text. "Good. At least they're making progress. I'll be interested to see how Luther reacts to the news of his wife's remains being identified." Waving his hand, he motioned for Aubrey to continue with his story. "You were saying? About Jessica?"

"Never mind...it's nothing. It was just a misunderstanding. I'll go by the lab later and straighten things out with her…" Aubrey's text alert chimed again. Checking his phone, he flushed to a bright red as he swore loudly. "Goddamn bitch...I can't believe she did that…" Closing his eyes, he clenched his fist and pounded on the console of the SUV. "I told her I wasn't interested. I made myself clear. There's no way she could've misconstrued what I said to her in my office…"

"What?" Booth was taken aback by Aubrey's angry expression. "What's wrong? That's not Jessica, is it?"

Exhaling slowly, Aubrey put his phone back in his pocket, trying to gain his composure. "No. It's Karen Delfs…" Aubrey shook his head as he bit his lip, wishing he'd controlled his emotions better. "She came to my office this morning, wanting to know if I'd go to the office Christmas party with her, you know, as her date. She was pawing at me, and it made me feel really uncomfortable, the way she was touching me. It was totally inappropriate for work. Anyway, I told her I wasn't interested...I made my feelings clear to her, in no uncertain terms, okay? The problem is that Jessica stopped by my office while Karen was there, and I guess she got the wrong idea about what was going on between Karen and me. I've been trying to call or text Jess all afternoon to explain things…" Aubrey paused before pulling out his phone to show Booth. "Karen just sent me this picture, and it looks like maybe she managed somehow to send a copy of it to Jessica as well…"

It was a picture of Karen, flaunting a lot of cleavage as she puckered up as if to give someone a kiss. Underneath was a comment. _Can't wait to see you, Sugar...Call me tonight and we'll have some fun._

Aghast, Booth shook his head in disgust. "You mean Karen's sexually harassing you? Jesus, Aubrey, I thought you said you'd take care of it! Is she going to be able to claim things were consensual between you two?"

Closing his eyes as he leaned back against the car seat, Aubrey pled his case. "There hasn't been anything at all between us, except maybe in her wild imagination. I've done everything by the book, Booth. I wasn't really alone with her in my office but five minutes, and even then, the door was open and Allen was sitting right outside. I told her I wasn't interested...that I have a girlfriend...but that crazy woman won't take no for an answer…and now she's dragging Jessica into it…"

Booth sighed in exasperation. "Okay, look, the FBI has strict rules against that sort of thing. It may be that she's just dense, but that's no excuse. I'd like you to fill out one of those formal complaint forms...you know, a PC-75AS...so I can have it on my desk when I talk to her tomorrow morning about this problem, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll take care of that when we get back to the Hoover." Embarrassed because his boss was going to fight his personal battles for him, Aubrey shook his head in regret. "I'm sorry you got pulled into this situation, Booth...I really did try to set her straight…but things are really getting out of hand."

"Yeah...no problem...that's why they pay me the big bucks to be the Special Agent in Charge...so that the directors don't have to mess with this sort of shit." Booth checked the time on the dashboard clock. "Okay, enough of that for now. We'll be in Edgewater in a few minutes. Let's talk about the case. You like Luther for the death of his wife?"

"Yeah, I think so. He's a plumber, and Dr. Saroyan said she thought the remains were doused with drain cleaner. There had been several domestic disturbance complaints, with police officers going out to the house, over the last year, and the wife had filed a protective order against him right before she disappeared. When I called the locals, they knew all about him." Aubrey's phone rang, and his face lit up when he saw the caller ID. "Jessica, listen, I need to talk to you about something…"

She began speaking rapidly, hardly pausing to take a breath as she rattled off what she needed to say. "I have some information about the case you need before you do your interrogation, Agent Aubrey. The remains were doused with an extremely caustic substance...a substance containing a such high percentage of lye that's only sold to professional plumbers. Also, the deceased had granite particulates in her skull fracture. Dr. Hodgins said that the granite fragments he found in the wound are from a type normally used to make kitchen countertops…"

"Okay, I'll tell Booth. Listen, about this afternoon, when you came by the office…", Aubrey began.

"I have to go...Dr. Brennan needs me to reexamine the skeleton of our victim now that the bones are cleaned." Jessica paused, sighing softly, hoping she was doing the right thing. "Why don't you come to my apartment this evening? About eight? We need to talk."

"I'll be there...if I'm going to be late, I'll text you...hey, by the way, Jess, don't open any texts or emails from Karen Delfs…"

"I already did." There was another pause. "We'll talk tonight…Bye."

"At least she's talking to you now." Booth glanced at the younger man and smiled encouragingly. "Did she have news about the case?"

"Yeah...yeah, she did." Aubrey grimaced as he put his phone away. "We need to ask Gary Luther about some heavy duty drain cleaner and granite countertops."

"Good. That'll help." They drove on in silence for a few minutes before Booth tried to start the conversation again. "So things are better, right? She wasn't angry when she talked to you, was she?"

"Nope. I could've handled that a lot better than what I got. I mean, I guess she might have a reason to be angry, but she wasn't. Instead, she was calm...completely professional and informative." Aubrey grimaced as he glanced back at Booth. "And then she said we needed to talk later…"

"God...I hate it when women say that. It sure as Hell means you're in trouble. So do you think she's gonna wanna stop seeing you?" Booth rubbed the back of his neck, angry that the new profiler in his office had stirred up this shitstorm. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

Aubrey sadly shook his head. "Nah...I'll handle it. Maybe I can convince her that none of this was my fault. Anyway, here we are in Edgewater. Let's go see Gary Luther. Maybe I can take some of my irritation out on him and we can get a full confession."

Oooooooooo

Brennan followed Jessica into the bone room where the skeleton of Marta Luther was laid out on the table. "You said you needed to show me something on the right olecranon process, Ms. Warren…"

"Yes…" Jessica pointed to the elbow joint as she explained. "I reexamined the bones after they were cleaned, and I've found some anomalies that I'd like you to see. If you look closely, you'll notice that it appears that the elbow has been dislocated. There also appears to be a separation of the right shoulder…"

Brennan bent down to look at the joints of the right arm. "It seems you are correct, Ms. Warren...the elbow joint shows evidence of trauma, as if someone twisted her right arm up and behind her back with a great deal of force." Brennan examined the damaged shoulder. "This shoulder separation was most likely postmortem, caused when the killer dragged the body to the car to put it in the trunk. The bones were in a fetal position in the car...let's check the knee joints and hip joints for damage as well."

Picking up the skull, Jessica pointed out some damage to the occipital bone. "There are unexplained microfractures on the skull as well. I noticed them as I studied the skull under the microscope, and it seems to me that the position of them is unusual. If her body was thrown into the back of the car roughly, I'd expect postmortem microfractures on the temporal bone, where the side of her head hit the floor of the trunk, and you can see that such fractures are present there. However, these fractures are on the occipital...at the lower back portion of the skull, and the blood staining suggests that these fractures occurred perimortem." Handing the skull to her mentor, Jessica waited nervously as Dr. Brennan inspected the microfractures under the microscope.

"Yes, I see what you mean. It's possible that the killer was wearing a large ring of some sort while pushing on the back of her head, also with a great deal of force. If the killer forced the victim's head against a hard object, the resultant force would be transferred back through the skull to the hand and that could cause the microfracturing. Given that the damage to the elbow was on the right side of the body, it appears that whoever pushed on her skull in this manner would likely be left handed. Very good work, Ms. Warren…" Pulling off her exam gloves, Brennan threw them into the trash. "Were you able to contact Agent Aubrey this afternoon to give him the other information that Dr. Hodgins was able to ascertain from the remains?"

"I spoke to him on the phone approximately an hour ago. He and Agent Booth were on their way to interview the decedent's spouse…" Jessica paused as she pinched her lips together, attempting to remain cool and professional, but without much success. "I went by his office earlier today and gave him the victim's name and the apparent cause of death…"

"You went to his office? Wouldn't it have been easier to email him?" Brennan chuckled as she saw Jessica's embarrassment. "I'm teasing you, Ms. Warren. There are some points of evidence that need to be explained in person rather than over email…perhaps having lunch together would have facilitated the transfer of that information. I've always found such lunch meetings with Booth to be quite useful."

Nodding in agreement, Jessica sighed. "True...it's much easier to answer questions about our findings in person. However, I didn't actually get to talk to Aubrey when I went by at lunchtime. He had a visitor in his office, so I left a note. It appeared to have the desired effect." Jessica bit her lip as she turned back to the skeleton. "He received adequate information about the case without talking to me…"

"I'm not sure that's entirely accurate, Ms. Warren. It's been my experience that FBI agents enjoy personally discussing their cases with the Jeffersonian personnel over lunch. They like going over the details they receive in such close contact…Booth says it helps them get a 'feel' for the case." Brennan gave Jessica a knowing smile. "I'm confident Agent Aubrey was disappointed that he missed you…"

"I doubt it. He seemed to be engaged in a very intense conversation with the woman in his office." Exhaling slowly, Jessica drummed her fingers on the lab table nervously for a few seconds before continuing. "Dr. Brennan, may I ask you a personal question?"

"You may ask, but there's no guarantee I'll answer…" Brennan chuckled at her little joke. "What do you want to know, Ms. Warren?"

"Agent Booth is a very attractive man. Doesn't bother you when other women openly admire him?"

Brennan thought over the question for a few seconds. "Before we were in a committed relationship, I often found myself quite disturbed by the idea that other women found him so attractive, but since I know he is completely committed to me now, I don't mind their admiration as long as they 'look, but don't touch.' In fact, I rather enjoy having other women appreciate the attractiveness of my mate, because it elevates my status in society. Occasionally I have to explain things to a woman who is uninformed about the nature of our relationship, and I make sure to be succinct and leave no room for misunderstanding when I do so. As an alpha female, I'm well aware of the need to guard my territory." Brennan glanced at her intern with concern. "Do you suspect that another female is trying to invade your territory...the territory that now includes Agent Aubrey?" Jessica nodded, trying to blink back her tears. "Then I would suggest that you inform the interloper that Agent Aubrey is off limits. I'm sure that Aubrey would be in agreement with that action, Ms. Warren. He seems to be quite attached to you emotionally…"

Jessica sniffled as she ran a knuckle under her eyes. "Do you really think so?"

Laughing, Brennan nodded. "I may not be as astute at reading human emotions as Booth is, but I can certainly recognize the innate physiological signs of attraction Aubrey displays when he's in your presence, Ms. Warren. His skin flushes...he licks his lips and runs his hands through his hair...he stands up straight and squares his shoulders, which expands his chest and shows off his pectoral muscles...his eyes sparkle...he can't help but smile broadly when he sees you. I would imagine his heart rate and respiration rate both increase as well, in addition to the increased production of pheromonic perspiration. All of these behaviors are indicative of a strong sexual attraction toward you. Given the fact that you have many interests in common with him, you are also intellectually compatible." Seeing that Jessica still wasn't sure, Brennan tilted her head and gave the intern her best 'stern teacher' look. "Yes, I really think so. Now, shall we get back to work?"

Beaming with pleasure, Jessica nodded. "Yes, Dr. Brennan...let's get back to work."


	9. Chapter 9 Truth in the Details

Gary Luther slouched sullenly in his chair at a long table, aimlessly fidgeting with the buttons on his shirt, flanked on one side by a sheriff's deputy and on the other by the bright-eyed young woman who was obviously his court-appointed attorney. Luther barely glanced up from his seat as Aubrey and Booth entered the interrogation room. Clearing his throat, Aubrey spoke to the deputy. "We'll take it from here if you want to wait outside…"

The agents sat down across from Luther and regarded him silently for a few seconds until Booth gave Aubrey an almost imperceptible wave of the hand. "Mr. Luther, I'm Agent Aubrey with the FBI, and this is Special Agent Booth. We have news about your wife, sir…"

"You found Marta? Thank God!" Luther offered an artificial smile to the agents across the table from him. "Maybe she can bail me out of this pig sty…"

Booth glared at the man as he shook his head. "I'm afraid our news isn't good, Mr. Luther. Your wife's remains were found in an underground parking garage at Reagan National Airport yesterday...her body had been left in the trunk of her car…"

"Oh, no!", Luther wailed. "Not my little Marta! Good God! I can't believe it! Are you sure it was my Marta? What happened to her?"

Aubrey folded his hands on the table as he gazed stoically at the man who sat across the table from him. "I'm afraid we've made a positive identification based on her dental records, Mr. Luther. However, we're still trying to ascertain the exact sequence of events that led to her death. It appears as if she suffered a massive blow to the front of her head...she most likely was hit with something hard right between the eyes. Her body was jammed into the trunk of her car, and then some sort of caustic material was poured over her body." Aubrey glanced at Booth, who flicked his eyes at Luther before nodding slightly. Opening a file folder, Aubrey pulled out some photographs and slid the pictures across the table, tapping them with his fingers. "This is all that was left of her…"

Ms. Miles, Gary Luther's attorney, recoiled in horror as she looked at the photographs. "Really, Agent Aubrey, I must protest against this distressing treatment of my client. There's absolutely no reason to subject him to such graphic pictures of his dead wife's body."

Aubrey nodded as he turned the photographs to look at them. "I understand your concern, Ms. Miles, but I disagree. You see, as a plumber, Mr. Luther here knew exactly what would happen when he doused his wife's body with that heavy duty drain cleaner and left it to stew in that car trunk after he killed her. As you might imagine, the odor at the crime scene was awful when the cops opened the car's trunk. The drain cleaner had dissolved her flesh, and all that was left of her was her skeleton. You tried to make her disappear, didn't you, Gary?"

Pushing the pictures away in disgust, Luther shuddered violently. "You're crazy! I did no such thing! I loved my wife…" His voice cracked with emotion as he continued. "I would never deliberately hurt her…"

Pursing his lips as he tapped his fingers on the table, Booth paused for a minute or two before he shook his head. "Nope. I'm not buying it. What about you, Aubrey? You think he's telling us the truth?"

"Nope." Aubrey pulled a set of papers from the file folder. "See, Gary, this is the report from the FBI technicians who examined your car. They found all the normal things...fingerprints, hairs, stuff like that. But they also found some weird stuff...things they couldn't explain." Aubrey handed the report to Ms. Miles. "For example, it says here that there wasn't any of Marta's blood in the car's interior, but there was a lot of it found in the trunk, indicating that she wasn't injured while she was inside the car's passenger compartment. If this was a carjacking or a kidnapping, there'd probably be more signs of a struggle...you know, probably some blood spatter, a damaged seat belt, scratches on the dashboard, and torn upholstery...things like that. The fact that none of those things were found in the front or back seat means she was most likely killed somewhere other than in her car. But here's the kicker…" Aubrey pointed out a highlighted line on the report. "The driver's seat had been pushed back as far as it would go when we found the car. Your wife was just barely five feet tall, Gary. She wouldn't have been able to reach the gas pedal or the brake pedal with the seat positioned like it was found, but since you're well over six feet tall, you had to move the seat all the way back to be able to drive the car to the airport after you killed her. The problem was that you were in a hurry, right? You wanted to leave the car and catch a cab without arousing suspicion and you had to get out of there quickly. So you forgot to move the seat up like Marta would've left it if she was the last person to drive it. The fingerprints on the adjustment lever under the seat are yours and your wife's, Mr. Luther...no unnamed kidnapper or carjacker...not even a mechanic's….just yours and hers…" Aubrey was grim as he closed the file. "You killed her, Gary, and then you put her body in the trunk of the car, doused it with industrial strength drain cleaner, and parked the car somewhere out of the way, hoping it'd be ignored long enough to let the chemicals do their work.."

Ms. Miles smiled primly as she glanced through the report. "Surely you realize, Agent Aubrey, that all of this 'evidence', as you call it, is strictly circumstantial...you have no actual physical proof that my client did anything wrong pertaining to his wife's death. You have no actual forensic evidence linking him to this crime, do you? I'm sure you won't be able to use the tiny bit of information in this report to get any sort of arrest warrant for Mr. Luther in connection with Mrs. Luther's murder, let alone a conviction. No district attorney in their right mind would dare take this flimsy case to trial..."

"I did it." Gary Luther mumbled as he rubbed his eyes with his hands, shaking and sobbing. "I killed her."

"Mr. Luther!" Ms. Miles looked as if she might faint as she gaped at her client. "Please...you don't have to say anything else. These agents don't have anything on you...not enough for a conviction. Please, just be quiet. Remember, anything you say can be used in a court of law..."

"I can't live with myself any more." Luther shook his head as he looked at the somber men across the table from him. "See, I'm a recovering alcoholic, and I hadn't had a decent plumbing job offered to me in months, because I haven't been able stay sober. Finally one of my long time buddies felt sorry for me, and he gave me a break. He offered to let me help him on this kitchen remodel job he was doing. It was a Saturday morning about four weeks ago, and Marta had come to see me at the job site. We were arguing as usual...she wanted some more grocery money, and I didn't have it to give to her. I turned away from her, and she came at me, swinging at me with her giant purse, but she tripped over my toolbox and hit face first on the brand new granite countertop that had just been installed. I panicked...that goddamn granite is 75 dollars a square foot, and I was afraid she'd broken it when she hit it, and then I'd have to pay to replace it. I checked it over to make sure it wasn't cracked or chipped, but then when I turned to Marta she was bleeding heavily, slumped against the lower cabinets, and I realized she was dead...she'd hit the counter too hard. It was an accident...I swear…if I hadn't been arguing with her...if I hadn't been such a drunken slob, she might still be alive…" Luther wailed loudly as he covered his face with his hands. "Poor little Marta…"

Booth and Aubrey looked at each other silently while the man across from them dissolved into tears as his attorney tried to console him. Finally Booth cleared his throat. "Why didn't you call for an ambulance, Mr. Luther? Or for the police?"

"I knew she was already dead, and I'm a convicted felon on the three strike plan...one more misstep and they put me away for life. I couldn't risk having the cops think her death was intentional. So I cleaned up the blood as best as I could, and I moved her body out of the kitchen..."

Aubrey was disgusted, raising his voice as he pounded his fist on the table. "And instead of giving your wife a proper burial, you decided to dissolve her body in the trunk of her car? Don't you think that counts as a misstep, Gary?"

"Hey, man...I didn't even have enough money for a quart of milk. How was I gonna pay for a funeral for my wife? And I couldn't just leave her body lying there on the kitchen floor..." Luther sniffled a little bit. "Do I need to sign a confession or something? I swear it was an accident. She fell over my toolbox…"

"As I said earlier, Mr. Luther, we're still trying to work out the events that led to your wife's death." Hearing his text alert chime, Aubrey shot Booth a quick glance before continuing. "We'll be in touch…" The agents rose from the table and alerted the deputy that they'd finished their questioning before stepping into the hallway.

Booth was fuming, swearing angrily as he and Aubrey paused outside of the interrogation room, trying to decide on their next move. "I'm telling you, Aubrey...Marta Luther's death was murder, and that no good son of a bitch thinks he's going to get away with killing her by claiming it was an accident. Goddammit! We need to get something else on the bastard for this deal or he's gonna walk away with just a slap on the hand for desecration of human remains…" Booth began to pace the hallway. "I'm gonna ask the sheriff to hold Luther for 24 hours more. Maybe we can get the techs out to look at the house where Luther was working when his wife died. We need to talk to the guy he was working for, too…"

Checking his text messages, Aubrey nodded in satisfaction. "Gary Luther's left handed, isn't he, Booth? And did you notice the tan line on his hand? He must've been wearing a wedding ring at one time..."

"Yeah...why?" Booth was confused by Aubrey's seemingly random question. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Jessica just sent me some very interesting information that we might be able to use to put Luther away for good. Do you think the sheriff will let us see Luther's personal effects without a search warrant? You know, the stuff they took off of him when they arrested him for DUI?"

"I guess...but if you think there's some evidence in his belongings that we might need to convict that bastard for murdering his wife, I wanna go by the book. I don't wanna take a chance on screwing up your case." He glanced at his watch. "It's almost four...let me call Caroline and see what she thinks. Maybe she can get a warrant and have it faxed or emailed to the sheriff's office." Booth gestured toward Aubrey's phone. "So your squinty girlfriend sent you some good stuff...looks like maybe you've been forgiven…"

"Yeah, maybe...I sure hope so."

Oooooooooo

Aubrey checked his watch as he slowly walked up the stairs to Jessica's apartment. It wasn't quite 8 o'clock, but he couldn't wait any longer to see her, or so he thought until he stood at her door, trying to get up the courage to knock but unsure of the reception he'd receive. He finally raised his hand to knock on the door, and then slowly lowered his hand, jamming the clenched fist into the pocket of his jeans. He swore under his breath, cursing his cowardice and indecision as he paced in the hallway in front of her apartment. He'd practiced his speech over and over ever since he'd gotten home from Edgewater. He'd simply tell her the truth...exactly what happened in his office this afternoon between Karen and himself. Surely Jessica would believe him when he explained that nothing had actually happened...surely she knew him well enough to realize that he wasn't a player and that Karen didn't mean anything to him. After all, he was truly the aggrieved party here...he was the one being sexually harassed. Yep, that's just what he'd do…and he fervently prayed that Jessica would actually listen to him long enough to hear the whole story without kicking him in the balls. Maybe she wouldn't be so angry or upset with him when she heard the truth. He stopped pacing for a few seconds as he thought through the situation. Maybe he actually wanted her to be upset...if she wasn't upset about him being in that awkward position with Karen, maybe she didn't care for him. No, never mind...he didn't want Jessica to be upset...he wanted her to be understanding. It wasn't really his fault that someone had tried to come between them, and he'd stood his ground, explaining that he had a girlfriend, and he wanted Jessica to know that. Aubrey's thoughts twisted and swirled through his mind as he continued to pace the back and forth.

Jessica stood inside her apartment, trying to watch Aubrey through the peephole in her front door. For an FBI agent, he wasn't particularly stealthy, and she'd heard him come stomping up the stairs to her landing. After watching him pace the hall for a few minutes, she decided that it was perhaps time to relieve his misery a bit. She opened the door and shyly peeked around it. "Would you like to come in, Aubrey?"

"Oh, hey, Jess…" Aubrey blushed a bit as he realized she'd known he'd been hanging around the front door trying to decide what to do. "I was just getting ready to knock…"

"I see." She opened the door further and gestured for him to come inside. "Have you eaten yet? I've got some chicken and noodles cooking on the stove…" She turned to look at him and gave him a faint smile. "I wasn't sure when you'd get back from your interrogation, and I thought you might be hungry." She smoothed her dark green sweatshirt over her snug black leggings. "I think you'll like it...it's got homemade noodles in it…"

"Wow...it smells great!" He smiled as he sniffed the aroma coming from the kitchen, hopeful that homemade chicken and noodles was an indication of forgiveness. "Maybe I can have some later...but I want to tell you something first, okay? I mean, you said we needed to talk, and that's what I want to do, but I want to go first, okay?" Tapping his foot as he looked around the small apartment, Aubrey shrugged, thoroughly embarrassed as he stood nervously in front of his silent girlfriend. "Listen, about this afternoon, Jess...Ms. Delfs...Karen...she, um, she came to my office to ask me to go the FBI's Christmas party with her, but I told her I didn't want to go anywhere with her, because, um...well, you know...because I already have a girlfriend…" He reached out to take Jessica's hand, but she moved away and sat down on the corner of the couch, avoiding eye contact with him.

"I saw her in your office.", Jessica responded coolly. "It seems, from the way that she was fondling you, patting your butt and all, that you two are on good terms...maybe even very intimately involved." She studied her nails as she continued. "I certainly don't want to stand in the way of such a good friendship, and I don't want to cause any problems for you two. Maybe it'll be easier for everyone if I just step aside and let you two be happy together…"

"What? NO! Of course you're not in the way of my relationship with her, because there is _nothing_ going on between me and her. Unfortunately, Karen didn't want to take no for an answer...she was trying to convince me to say yes about going to the party and she started groping me, thinking that I'd get off on that, but she was so wrong. It just made her seem cheap and way too obvious. Anyway, I guess when you came by my office this afternoon to bring me some lunch that's what you saw, but I think you may have gotten the wrong idea...you know it wasn't something I wanted to have happen with her, right? I kept telling her I wasn't interested, but she wouldn't listen to me…"

Frustrated by his girlfriend's uncharacteristically subdued demeanor, Aubrey sat down on the couch next to Jessica and put his hand gently over hers. "Listen, you've got to understand, Jess...Karen doesn't mean anything to me, and I told her so, okay? I don't have any idea why she's fixated on me, but I've done nothing to encourage her attentions. You're the one I love, Jessica. You're everything to me, and I'd never do anything to jeopardize my relationship with you. I've waited too long for us to be together, you know? C'mon, Jessie...you know I'm not a player. You know I love you…"

Jessica was tired at pretending to be annoyed. After waiting a few seconds, she smiled as she rolled her eyes at him. "You're right...I do know you love me. Do you really think I'd waste homemade noodles on someone who doesn't love me? Do you know how hard they are to make?" She leaned over to kiss him. "I've been saving them for a special occasion."

"Wait...so you're not mad at me?" Aubrey exhaled slowly and grinned at Jessica, obviously relieved. "God, Jessica...you had me worried there for a minute…"

Looking at Aubrey in surprise, Jessica shrugged. "Why? I told you last night that I loved you. You don't think that I'm gonna let you off the hook just because Ms. Delfs thinks you're an attractive man, do you? I'm sure a lot of other women think the same thing about you, but you belong to me, so they're out of luck. And I believe you when you say you don't return her affections, especially because I know that you know that if you ever did return them, I've got enough training as a forensic anthropologist to take you out, and no one would ever find your body, right?"

"Wait just a minute there…" Aubrey chuckled as Jessica narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you threatening a federal agent, Ms. Warren?"

"I think threatening may be too strong a word, Agent Aubrey." Jessica giggled as Aubrey put his arm around her and pulled her close to nibble at her ear. "Let's just say that maybe you need to dial down the 'cuteness' factor a bit. You know, quit being so charming and irresistible and no one gets hurt…"

"I can't help it." Aubrey wore a smug grin. "Women just like me…"

"Right. Okay. I realize it might be a struggle to stop being so charming, but I think you can do it if you put your mind to it.." Pulling away from her boyfriend and rising from the sofa, Jessica walked toward the kitchen to stir the mixture that was bubbling on the stove. "Do you want to try some of the chicken and noodles? It's a family recipe, with homemade ingredients, and some breast and thigh meat…"

Aubrey embraced Jessica from behind as she stood next to the stove. "Does it keep well? Because there's another kind of breast and thigh meat I want to nibble on right now…" His hands reached under Jessica's sweatshirt to caress the creamy skin of her abdomen. "Maybe we can have some of the chicken later, you know...after you've satisfied my hunger for other things?" Pleased to find that Jessica wasn't wearing anything under her bulky sweatshirt, he deft fingers tickled lightly across her breasts, pausing as he ran his thumbnails across her nipples before pulling her hips against his body. "I mean, I'm glad you fixed dinner for me, but we don't need to eat it right now, do we?"

Sighing as she leaned back against Aubrey, Jessica found herself grinding her hips against his erection as he held her close. "I think we can wait…" She heard him groan as he thrust his hips at hers while laying kisses down the back of her neck. "I mean, we can eat this later…" She turned off the burner and turned to face him. "...but let's move away from the stove…" She pulled him into a passionate kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Let's take this action into the bedroom…"

"Good idea…" He lifted her so her legs could wrap around his waist, caressing her gently as he held her close. "This kitchen is way too small for what I have in mind for us…"

They crashed onto her bed together, feverishly trying to disrobe each other as their kisses became more and more heated. Aubrey's jeans and boxers hit the floor quickly, landing in a heap next to Jessica's clothes, and he desperately plunged into her sweetness over and over until they were both carried away by the thrill they felt in loving each other. They lay in each other's arms, breathing heavily as they rested from their exertion, enjoying the closeness they shared. Aubrey pulled his lover closer as she began to drift off to sleep. "Jessica?"

"Hmm?" A sleepy hum vibrated softly against his bare chest.

"Trust me. There will never be anyone to take your place. No one else will ever make me feel this way...not the way I feel about you. I love you so much…"

Oooooooooo

"What time is it?" Jessica moaned softly as she turned to look at the clock on her night stand. "Hmm...9:30. I think I'll go put some of the chicken and noodles in the microwave...do you want some, Superman?"

"In a minute…" Aubrey stroked Jessica's shoulder as she lay next to him. "Can I ask you something first?"

Snuggling into his arms, Jessica smiled sweetly. "Of course. What do you want to know?"

"Well…" He paused, slightly embarrassed. "...this is gonna sound strange, but I was wondering…" He smiled as he caressed her cheek. "I was wondering why you weren't really angry at me about Karen...because, you know, a lot of women would've been raving maniacs about another woman hitting on their boyfriend in his office."

Shrugging, Jessica giggled as she lightly traced circles on Aubrey's chest. "I was upset when I got back to the lab, but then I talked to Angela, and she pointed out that if you'd called me fifty times, you obviously wanted to explain things to me. I was thinking about that while I was looking over the skeleton with Dr. Brennan, and I asked her about Booth...you know, about how she's handled having other women gawking at her exceptionally handsome husband over the years…"

"Wait...you really think Booth is that good looking?" Aubrey narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend. "Remind me not to leave the two of you alone together…"

"His features are very symmetrical, of course, but you've got nothing to worry about, James…" Jessica laughed as Aubrey pretended to pout. "Anyway, Dr. Brennan and I talked, and she told me that she'd observed several physiological changes in you that indicated that you found me sexually desirable. She explained to me that this was proof of your attraction, and that I had nothing to worry about as far as you being interested in another woman…"

"Physiological changes? Like what?" Aubrey grinned, challenging his squinty girlfriend's intellect.

"Change in respiration and heart rate, pupil dilation, showing off your muscles, and of course…" She pointed to his crotch. "...the fact that I can make your little buddy there stand at attention like that. I felt sure that Ms. Delfs was not getting the same sort of responses from you, so I began to realize that I could trust you to be faithful to me."

"Hey! Watch it with the 'little' comments. So this is all about proof of my affection, which makes sense, seeing as how you're my squinty girl." Aubrey laughed as he teased his fingers across her hip. "Maybe I can give you some more proof….if you think the chicken and noodles can wait a little while longer..."

Pulling herself on top of her Superman, Jessica grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that…"


	10. Chapter 10 Someone's in Trouble

_A/N: sorry for the delay in posting...Christmas crept up on me unexpectedly. (I know...how does that really happen?) If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Laura._

* * *

"Good morning, Superman." Jessica giggled as a very drowsy Aubrey strolled into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he stretched a bit. "Sleep well?"

"I did...when you actually let me sleep! I tell you what, that constant pestering me for sex...I hope it never stops." Aubrey grinned broadly as he embraced his girlfriend. "I may have to sneak a nap in at lunch just to keep up with your demands on my time…"

Jessica smirked as she handed him a glass of orange juice. "Here. You need to replenish your fluid levels, too." Turning back to the stove, she scraped the contents of a small skillet onto a plate for him. "Okay, for breakfast I made you three eggs and some toast. I know you normally eat more, but I haven't been grocery shopping in a while…"

"This is great, really, Jess. I don't expect you to feed me every time I'm over here. I've got food at my apartment, too…" He sat at the table and took a big bite of his eggs. "Of course, I can't cook as good as you do, but maybe we should have dinner at my place tonight. I've got some nice thick steaks in the freezer. I can take them out to defrost when I go by to get a change of clothes. Hey, do you want me to drive you to the Jeffersonian today?"

"Not this morning. I need to be there earlier than normal." Jessica reached for her phone to show him her messages. "Dr. Brennan sent me a text. She wants me to look at the blood spatter patterns the FBI techs found at the alleged crime scene last night, and then I'm going to help Angela with her computer simulation of Marta Luther's accident."

"If it was actually an accident." Aubrey sighed as he ate another bite of eggs. Thinking about that bastard Gary Luther almost ruined his appetite. "Okay, but maybe you should take a gym bag to work with you today...you know, fill it with essentials for overnight, like a toothbrush and a change of clothes...and, then, if you want…" Aubrey gave Jessica a sly wink. "...you can stay at my place tonight. You know, we can enjoy a quiet evening at the exotic Chez Aubrey…" Glancing at his watch, Aubrey scooped the last bit of eggs off of his plate and downed his juice. "I've gotta go...I can't be late again today or Booth will jump all over my ass." He gave Jessica a kiss and a smile. "I'll see you later, Jessie..."

"Would you like me to bring you some chicken and noodles for lunch? There's plenty, even after you ate your fill for dinner last night." Jessica laughed as she remembered their midnight supper from the evening before. "Maybe some cookies to go with it?"

"Yeah, that'd be great. Okay...I love you. Bye." Aubrey grabbed his jacket and gave Jessica another quick hug and kiss. "Bye."

"Bye." Sighing happily, Jessica rinsed off the breakfast dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. She could easily imagine that little scene playing out every day for the next few decades. She hummed quietly to herself until it hit her...she still hadn't decided what to get Aubrey for Christmas.

Oooooooooo

Karen Delfs wore a self-satisfied smile as she knocked on the door of Special Agent Booth's office. "You asked to see me, Agent Booth?" After he silently gestured for her to enter without looking away from his computer monitor, she went in and perched on the edge of the chair in front of his desk. "How can I help you? Do you have a difficult case that needs my attention? Another serial killer on the loose?"

Booth was grim as he shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. Actually I need to speak to you about a different sort of problem...there's a personnel issue I need to discuss with you..."

Interrupting, Karen nodded. "I can help you analyze personnel records to see which agents would be the best fit for your department…"

"I'm afraid you've misunderstood, Ms. Delfs. What I mean is that I have something I need to discuss with you personally related to your work here in my division." Booth pulled a paper from the upper drawer of his desk. "You see, Agent Aubrey has filed a sexual harassment complaint against you, and, as I'm sure you know, the Bureau takes a dim view of that sort of thing. This is quite a serious matter."

"What? I did no such thing!", Karen stammered. "I just stopped by his office yesterday to talk to him…"

Booth pushed the form across his desk so she could see it. "If you'd just talked to him in his office, there wouldn't have been a problem. According to his complaint, however, you touched Agent Aubrey inappropriately several times after he specifically and repeatedly asked you to leave him alone. He also says you made several suggestive remarks indicating that you were seeking sexual relations with him…"

"That's ridiculous. Why would I do such a thing?" Karen's shock and anger were obvious. "Agent Aubrey has grossly exaggerated what happened between us in his office yesterday."

"The problem is, Ms. Delfs, that I have to investigate every sort of harassment complaint that comes across my desk. If the situation was different, and you felt that you were being sexually harassed, that's what you would expect from me, therefore, in the interest of fairness, I have to treat Agent Aubrey in the same manner." Booth sat back in his chair, pressing his fingertips together as he studied her. "So you're saying that you had no physical contact with Aubrey in his office yesterday? Please think carefully before you answer, because I will be talking to Agent Allen as well to verify each side of the story."

"Well...I might have touched his arm and his shoulders…" Karen bit her lip. "...but it was casual contact, like something that takes place between friends…"

"Agent Aubrey has also written in his complaint that you touched his buttocks even after he told you that you were making him uncomfortable…" Booth picked up the form and glanced over it. "He also says that you touched his chest and stroked his tie in a suggestive manner…."

"I didn't mean to do that…" Nervously tapping her foot, Karen looked like she might vomit. "I think this is all a big misunderstanding…you must know I would never sexually harass Aubrey, Agent Booth...he's my friend..."

"According to this complaint, Aubrey states that you also sent him a suggestive text message with an attached picture of yourself in an inappropriate pose yesterday afternoon, which could be construed as sexting. As I'm sure you know, sexting is a violation of the law, and that in itself could be a reason for your contract with the Bureau to be terminated."

"That was a joke, Agent Booth...surely you understand that...I was just playing around." Beads of perspiration started to appear on Karen's forehead. "I didn't mean anything sexual with that text message…"

"Perhaps you meant it as a joke, Ms. Delfs, but after seeing the message myself, I have to say that if even if it wasn't meant to be suggestive, it was definitely in extremely poor taste. It also appears that for some reason you sent a copy of the message and the picture to a Ms. Jessica Warren, a colleague of Agent Aubrey's who works at the Jeffersonian. That seems to indicate that you are harassing her with your nasty 'jokes' as well, which, again, as sexting, is illegal." Booth narrowed his eyes as he read over the form again. "At any rate, I'm still required to thoroughly investigate the situation, Ms. Delfs, so I will be interviewing Ms. Warren, Agent Allen and Agent Aubrey about this situation. In the meantime, I suggest you steer clear of Aubrey and Ms. Warren. However, please be aware that if I find that you did sexually harass my agent or anyone who works with him, I will write a formal letter of reprimand to be included in your personnel file." Booth glared across his desk at Karen. "You have an excellent reputation as a profiler, Ms. Delfs. I'm not sure what led you to interact inappropriately with Agent Aubrey as stated in his complaint, but I hope that it won't be something that permanently damages your career. Leave Aubrey alone." He turned back to his computer as he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "That will be all."

"Agent Booth...if you'd let me just explain…" Karen squirmed in her chair, trying to find a way to justify her behavior. "It wasn't my intention to harass Aubrey...I was just trying to be friendly...

"I said that will be all, Ms. Delfs. Oh, and by the way….I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your opinion about the sexual relationship between my wife and me to yourself. That sort of comment is definitely uncalled for…"

Her cheeks turning bright red, she rose quickly from the chair. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, Agent Booth…"

Booth watched as the profiler beat a hasty retreat from his office, shaking his head as he once again pondered the strange effect sexual attraction had on the behavior of otherwise normal people. _Hopefully she'll be smart enough to leave Aubrey alone now…._

Ooooooooooo

Later that morning Agents Aubrey and Booth met Brennan and Jessica in Angela's office to discuss their latest findings in the Luther case. Angela had a schematic of the remodeled kitchen pulled up on the large view screen so they could all see the simulations she'd programmed into her computer.

"Okay, the blood samples from the kitchen were degraded somewhat because of the length of time that had passed between Marta's death and when her body was found, but the FBI techs used luminol to check the scene, and they found something interesting. It looks like someone tried to clean up the blood but whoever it was couldn't remove all of the traces from the wooden surfaces and the stained concrete floor in the kitchen, like maybe they were in a hurry. Anyway, based on the traces that were found and the blood spatter analysis from the FBI techs who looked over the scene, most of blood was found on the front of this bank of cabinets and on the floor in front of those same cabinets. There was also some minute traces of blood on the unsealed granite counter directly above those cabinets, and a pattern on the rest of the floor that looks like a blood trail...like the blood had both sprayed and then dripped from a wound. However, this space on the floor here…" Angela highlighted a blank space on the schematic. "...had no evidence of blood spatter at all. Based on the size and shape of this empty space, this was probably where Gary Luther's tool box was in the room."

"Yeah, that makes sense, I guess." Booth cocked his head to one side as he studied the diagram. "That would be a big tool box, but plumbers usually have a lot of tools…"

"There's another anomaly as well." Jessica highlighted the area between the tool box and the counter. "This is a distance of at least eight feet. Mr. Luther said his wife tripped and fell over his tool box and hit the counter face first, which killed her, but she was only five feet tall…"

"That's right...no matter how I run the simulation, she's not tall enough to hit the counter from there." Angela started the program and they watched the various iterations. "If she did trip over the tool box, it wasn't sitting there, but this location on the floor is the only place not covered with blood spatter."

Brennan studied the simulation as Angela ran it again. "Another issue with this simulation is that in order for Marta Luther to suffer the vast amount of damage evident on the front of her skull, she would've needed to hit the counter with a great deal of force. She was a petite woman, weighing approximately 110 pounds. If you consider the expected acceleration of a person her size in that distance and then combine it with her mass, there would not have been an amount of force substantial enough to cause the type and extent of fracturing that exists in the skull."

Not wanting to appear stupid, Booth leaned sideways toward Aubrey. "What's that mean?", he asked quietly.

"It means that she was probably too light to hit the counter with enough force to cause the skull damage that led to her death if all she did was fall against it face first, even if she was running as fast as she could. Someone must've rammed her face against the counter. That son of a bitch lied to us." Aubrey turned to Angela. "Have you had time to input the picture of Gary Luther's ring that I sent you?"

"Yes, here it is…" Angela pulled up the picture of the heavy gold wedding ring.

"Angela, see if the shape of the ring matches the microfractures at the base of the skull." Brennan watched as Angela manipulated the pictures of the ring and the skull on her computer simulation. "There...see? The killer was wearing this ring on his left hand when he grabbed the back of her head and forced it against the counter. The fracture pattern radiates away from where this ring fits perfectly into the indentation in her skull. We'll have Hodgins swab the fractures for particulates, but since gold is so soft, I'm confident we'll find some traces of the gold alloy that makes up this ring in the area of the microfractures and it will match the gold alloy that makes up Mr. Luther's wedding ring. Excellent work finding those microfractures, Ms. Warren."

Aubrey scowled as he studied the computer screen. "When we looked through Luther's personal effects the sheriff's office, that son of a bitch also had a pawn ticket in his wallet, and we tracked it down...it was for his wife's wedding ring. It has her name engraved on the inside." He nodded to Booth. "I think Luther's gonna have to change his tune. This was no accident…he deliberately killed Marta and then tried to make it look like an accident...even to the point of admitting that he'd accidentally killed her..."

Booth pulled out his phone and placed a call. "Sheriff Townsend? This is Special Agent Booth. We need you to detain Gary Luther for us. We have to go by the DA's office for the arrest warrant, but I think we'll be over to pick him up in an hour or two. Yeah...thanks." He smiled as he put his phone in his pocket and extended a handshake to the younger man. "Good work, Aubrey. You and Ms. Warren make a great team. Now, let's go pick up Luther."

Oooooooooo

The SUV sat at the intersection, waiting for the red light to change to green. Booth whistled softly to himself as Aubrey enjoyed some doughnuts and a cup of coffee. As the light changed, Booth turned the SUV onto the highway that led to Edgewater, picking up his coffee cup from the console. He took a sip before clearing his throat. "I, um...I talked to Karen earlier today, Aubrey…"

"Oh…" Aubrey took a bite of his doughnut and chewed thoughtfully. "I bet that was a lot of fun…"

"She claims that this problem between you two is all the result of a little misunderstanding...that she was merely joking around." Booth waved off Aubrey's indignant protests. "I know what you're going to say, and you're right. This is no joking matter. I told Karen to leave both you and Jessica alone or I'd put a formal reprimand in her file." Booth took another sip of coffee and grimaced slightly. "I was kind of surprised when I read over Karen's personnel file. There wasn't any mention of these types of problems at the other places where she's worked...not that it would make any difference in the first place, okay? It seems like she's moved around a lot from office to office, so I guess it's possible that she's acted like this at other places where she's worked but no one has ever taken the time to file a complaint against her. Who knows? Anyway, hopefully that problem's been taken care of…" Fidgeting with his coffee cup, Booth continued, choosing his words carefully. "Listen, I know it's kind of embarrassing to have to file a sexual harassment report against a woman you work with. It takes guts to do that, you know? A lot of guys would just want to sweep something like that under the rug instead of reporting the offender. I mean, no guy really wants to admit that a woman is bothering him like that, but in this case it seems like it was necessary...it's probably the only way to get her to leave you alone. I'm glad you stepped up to do the right thing. After all, it's not just women who get sexually harassed. Guys can have problems like that, too."

"Well, thanks. I appreciate you taking time to check into the problem." Aubrey bit into another doughnut. "I know it was a pain in the ass to deal with, but I needed to be able to prove to Jessica that Karen means nothing to me, and that seemed to be the best way to do it."

"No big deal, you know? That's part of my job...anything to keep my agents happy and working efficiently. I mean, you and Jessica both did great work on this case, and I want to retain people like the two of you to keep our department's rate of case closures at the top." Pursing his lips as he checked his mirror, Booth glanced at Aubrey. "Any chance you could talk Jessica into coming to work for the FBI when she gets her degree?"

Aubrey shrugged as he selected an icing encrusted cake doughnut from the box. "I think eventually she wants to work at a major university as a professor, but she says she'll need some practical experience first." Aubrey paused as he gazed out the window at the scenery that was speeding by. "I think she'd be an asset to the Bureau, but I'm not sure I want her to work for them. It can be dangerous, being out in the field like that at a crime scene. A lot of crazy shit can happen...things that can't be controlled. I think I'd worry too much about her getting hurt. I want her to do something safe, like working in a lab..."

Booth chuckled as he shook his head at the younger man's naivete'. "Do you really think you're gonna have much say so about where Jessica works? She may not be as headstrong as Bones, but from what I can tell about her, she's got a mind of her own. She may ask you what you think about her job opportunities, but in the end, she's gonna do what's best for her career."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, it's not like we've been together long enough for us to make long range plans for our future like that yet." Aubrey licked the icing off his fingers, wanting desperately to change the subject. "I mean, we've actually only been officially a couple for a few days…"

Trying not to laugh out loud, Booth nodded in mock agreement. "Right. I get it. So over the last six months or so, when you've been 'just friends' with her...you're telling me you haven't made plans in your head involving her and a house with a white picket fence and a couple of kids? C'mon, Aubrey...I've seen the way you've been looking at her...that squint stole your heart the first day you met her…"

Aubrey knew he'd been found out, but he tried to act nonchalant. "I think you're making a big deal over nothing, Booth. Right now, we're happy together, and that's all I'm worried about. If things work out between us over the long haul, then we'll see what happens as far as her job and mine. She's still got some work to do before she gets her degree anyway, so we can play it by ear…"

"Whatever you say…" Booth smiled to himself as he silently estimated how long it would be until his partner became a married man. _Maybe six months...no more than a year...and he'll be living the dream… "_ At least you know who's going to go to the Jeffersonian Winter Gala with you now, right? You may not want to make long range plans but you can plan ahead a week at a time…"

Cringing, Aubrey tried to hide his anxious expression as he sipped his coffee. "I wasn't really planning on going to the Gala…"

"What?! You have to go! You're one of the FBI liaisons to the Jeffersonian. Why would you decide not to go?" Booth glared at the man next to him. "I thought I'd made myself clear when I gave you the tickets…you're expected to attend..."

Aubrey sighed as he tried to explain. "I knew Jessica was supposed to go to that thing, too, but she never said anything about it to me, so I thought she already had a date, and I didn't want to go sit around and watch her dance with someone else. I couldn't handle that..."

Scratching his chin, Booth nodded in understanding, having been in similar situations himself in the past. "Yeah, I get that...but it looks like she didn't have another date after all, and she was waiting for you to ask her to go...you two really need to work on your communication together, don't you?"

Smirking smugly, Aubrey turned to his boss and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe so, but it didn't take me six years to get together with my girlfriend, unlike some people I know…." Chuckling as he munched on another iced doughnut, he continued. "Trust me. I'm not gonna take that long to close the deal if I get the chance…"

"Hey...watch it there, buddy." Booth narrowed his eyes at his laughing partner. "Listen, I had to learn the hard way, okay? I'm trying to give you the benefit of my experience. If you want the girl, you gotta say so, but your timing has to be just right. You can't push it if Jessica's not ready, but you also can't take any chances on letting her get away just because you didn't speak up. I was lucky. I almost blew it with Bones, but we worked things out, thank God. I can't believe how close I came to letting her go. Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to take that kind of chance with Jessica." He pulled the SUV into the parking lot of the sheriff's office where Gary Luther was being held, and handed the paperwork over to Aubrey, smiling like a proud parent. "Here's the warrant...go arrest that bastard Luther and close your case."


	11. Chapter 11 The Winter Gala

_A/N: this chapter is longer than normal but it flowed together well so I didn't split it. I hope you enjoy it. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Laura_

* * *

It was 7 o'clock in the evening when Aubrey grinned at his girlfriend as she patiently waited for him to unlock his apartment door. "Sorry I ran a little late picking you up from the lab, Jess. The paperwork transferring Gary Luther to our custody took longer to fill out than we expected, but the son of a bitch is finally in jail as we speak…"

"No problem, Superman. I'm glad you were able to arrest Luther for his wife's murder. I needed to do some research for my thesis anyway." Jessica smiled as she followed him into his neat, sparsely furnished apartment. "I'm also glad you were able to close the case before Christmas. Now maybe you can relax a bit since the pressure's off." She put a cloth shopping bag on the kitchen counter and began to unpack it, placing a coconut cream pie and some fresh vegetables in the refrigerator. "I'm looking forward to the holidays myself…"

"Me, too. Okay, dinner shouldn't take very long to make…" Aubrey decided to tease his girlfriend as he turned on the broiler and got the steaks ready to cook. "Hey, Booth and Dr. B. invited me and a date over to their house on Christmas Eve. Any idea where I might find a cute girl to go with me? Maybe you could set me up with one of your squinty girlfriends."

Chuckling, Jessica gave her boyfriend a sly grin. "I don't know about setting you up with my friends, but I might be available if you can't find anyone else who's interested in going…" She washed some baking potatoes, piercing them with a fork before she put them in the microwave to cook. "Unless you want to ask Ms. Delfs to go with you, that is…"

"Don't even go there, Jess…that's not even funny." Aubrey looked over his shoulder at her, wearing a scowl. "Listen, you'd better be a good girl or you won't get any Christmas presents…"

"Oh, really?" Jessica arched an eyebrow as she began to put together a large green salad with croutons and bacon bits. "Well, the same goes for you, too, Aubrey…" She nodded toward the glittering tabletop Christmas tree that was set up in the apartment's small living room. "It doesn't look like there are any presents under there for you, either." After placing the salad bowl and some plates on the dinner table, Jessica went over to inspect the tree. "I see packages for Michael-Vincent, Christine and Hank, and maybe one or two others, but nothing with your name on it." She laughed as she turned and wagged her finger at him. "You must've been a very bad boy..."

"Hey, don't be so snoopy…" Aubrey grinned bashfully as he moved some packages around before he took Jessica's hand and led her back to the table. "There may be some things under the tree that you're not supposed to see yet…" He pinched his lips together as he realized he wasn't quite telling the truth, since he hadn't picked out all of her gifts yet. "The steaks are gonna be ready in a minute. Medium rare, right?" He smiled, helping Jessica with her chair as she sat at the table, glad that his girlfriend was an unapologetic carnivore just like he was. "Butter and sour cream on your baked potato?"

"That sounds good, thanks." Jessica put her napkin on her lap and sighed contentedly, enjoying the pleasing aroma as Aubrey brought the steaks to the table. "Those steaks smell wonderful…"

"Here…" Aubrey poured some red wine into a stemmed glass and handed it to his girlfriend. "Sorry I don't have any candles on hand for a real romantic dinner…"

"No problem...it's the company that makes it a romantic dinner, not the table setting." Jessica gave Aubrey a flirty grin as she took a bite from her steak. "This is great...what kind of seasoning did you use?"

"Just my special super secret spice rub for beef. I hope you know that I don't use that stuff for just anyone. It's just for special occasions…kind of like your homemade chicken and noodles…" Reaching across the table, Aubrey took Jessica's hand. "Only for people I love…"

Jessica blushed slightly as she entwined her fingers with his. "I'm glad I fall into that category…"

"Yeah, I am, too." Aubrey suddenly felt embarrassed, clearing his throat slightly as he rubbed his thumb across Jessica's hand. "So...about the Jeffersonian's Winter Gala this weekend…"

"What about it?" Jessica stared at her plate as she took a bite of her salad. "Who are you going with?"

"No one…" He saw the upset expression on his girlfriend's face. "I mean, I didn't ask anyone to go with me. I decided I didn't want to go because I was pretty sure you had a date for the Gala, and I didn't want to be there with some casual date that didn't mean anything to me, watching the woman I love having a good time with someone else…"

"Oh, I see..." Jessica paused slightly before she continued softly, running her finger along the foot of her wine glass. "...but I don't actually have a date for the Gala. Gerald Maxwell, one of the interns in antiquities, asked me to go with him, but I turned him down…" She smiled at Aubrey shyly. "I kept waiting for you to ask me to go with you, but you didn't, so I thought that meant you had someone else to go with. I'm planning to go with some of the other interns from the lab…"

"So you really don't have a date?" A grin spread across Aubrey's face. "And I don't really have a date. Does this mean we can go to that fancy party together Saturday night?"

"I don't know...I hate to disappoint my friends by dropping out at the last minute. It's kind of rude to ditch them like that, don't you think?" Jessica pretended to be annoyed as she sipped her wine, glaring at him over the rim of the glass. "Why didn't you ask me to go with you? Why would you assume I had a date with someone else?"

"I don't know, really." Aubrey paused for a few seconds as he thought about the situation. "I guess I thought maybe you already had another date. I mean, you're a beautiful woman, Jessica, and I knew that a lot of guys at the Jeffersonian would be interested in asking you to the Gala, and you never said anything to me about wanting to us to go together. That's what you usually do when you want to go to the movies or somewhere else with me...you tell me. I figured we've been friends long enough that if you knew that's what you wanted to do...go to this fancy party with me...you'd say so…" Aubrey fidgeted with his napkin as he tried to explain his thoughts. "It seems silly now…I shouldn't have assumed anything. I should've just asked you to go with me, because that's what I wanted, but I thought you might want to make plans that didn't include me for a change. Does that make sense?"

"Not really." Shaking her head, Jessica sliced another bite from her steak, avoiding Aubrey's pained expression. "After all, you must know by now that I haven't gone out with anyone else since I met you. However, I suppose part of this mix up is my fault. I should've told you that I wanted to go to the Gala with you instead of just wishing you knew. For some reason I assumed you'd know what I wanted, and I was a little hurt when you didn't figure it out, but it seems reading minds isn't one of your superpowers, is it, Superman?"

"Nope." Aubrey shook his head, chuckling softly. "It looks like Booth was right…."

"About what?" Jessica's fork stopped in midair. "What's so funny?"

"Booth says we need to learn to communicate better with each other. He doesn't want us to make the same mistakes that he and Dr. B made when they first met…" Aubrey nodded as he sipped his wine. "I guess he knows what he's talking about since it took them almost six years to get together."

"I guess so." Jessica giggled as she smiled at her boyfriend. "He was right. We need to start communicating better right now so we can set things straight, okay? I want you to take me to the Jeffersonian Gala, Aubrey. I want you to pick me up at 7:30 this Saturday night, wearing the best tuxedo money can rent. There...is that clear enough? Oh, and by the way...don't bring another date with you. It's just going to be you and me. Ms. Delfs is out of luck…"

"I think Karen knows that, Jess. Booth said he talked to her this morning, suggesting that she'd better leave both of us alone or he'd put a letter of reprimand in her personnel file, which would essentially ruin her career as an FBI profiler. He can be quite persuasive when he's angry…" Wiping his mouth with his napkin, Aubrey pushed his dinner plate aside. "Anyway, it's a date. I'll be at your place Saturday night. Now, how about you and me having some of that coconut cream pie you brought over here for dessert?"

"Maybe...for round one of dessert. Round two of dessert can happen later this evening in your bedroom, right, Superman?" Jessica smiled suggestively as she put her napkin on the table. "And that kind of dessert isn't fattening…"

Oooooooooo

The next few days dragged by until it was finally Saturday evening. Aubrey sat in his SUV for a few minutes after he'd parked it outside of Jessica's apartment building, checking his reflection in the visor mirror. He ran his hand through his thick hair one more time to make sure it was going to behave for a change. He pulled at his bow tie and tried to straighten it without much success, and then he smoothed the front of his shirt, desperately wanting to look suave and debonair for this special occasion. Sighing heavily, he finally gave up primping and decided he probably looked okay, but for some reason he was still slightly nervous about going to the dance with Jessica this evening. After all, she'd turned down Gerald Maxwell's invitation to the Winter Gala because she wanted to go with her favorite FBI agent instead, and that was saying a lot in Aubrey's favor. Most of the female employees at the Jeffersonian had admired the blonde, blue-eyed good looks of the tall, muscular antiquities intern, and, from what Aubrey had heard, Gerald had the reputation of being a lot of fun on a date. It was a lot to live up to, but Aubrey knew he could meet the challenge. He grimaced as he thought about that goon Maxwell going anywhere with his Jessica...no way that was ever gonna happen if he had anything to do with it. Aubrey nodded resolutely to himself as squared his shoulders inside his black jacket. The sooner he had Jessica's heart wrapped up for his own, the better he'd like it. He caught his reflection in the visor mirror once again, smiling at himself as he thought about what Booth had said a few days earlier. Booth had been correct concerning the future plans Aubrey had been daydreaming about...the plans involving a certain pretty redhead and how their future lives would soon be entwined together. Knowing that Jessica had chosen him to be her date this evening made his heart swell with pride. She loved him, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Smiling happily, Aubrey brushed a bit of imaginary lint from his tuxedo jacket and smoothed his pants one more time before he practically skipped up the stairs to Jessica's apartment and knocked on the door.

He knew he should say something clever, or at least halfway intelligent, when Jessica opened the door, but she looked so gorgeous that he was rendered practically speechless for a minute or two. He'd always thought Jessica was pretty, but tonight she looked simply amazing. The slightly goofy squintern that he loved so much had transformed herself into a dazzling, sophisticated woman. Jessica's strapless floor length dress was made from a lightweight velvet in a dark green hue that enhanced the color of her eyes. The cut of the dress was simple, having a fitted, draped bodice with a low sweetheart neckline and a softly gathered skirt, but it hugged her lithe figure perfectly. Her softly curled dark red hair was brushed away from her face and pinned loosely in place with jeweled combs, revealing small emerald stud earrings that matched the small emerald stone in the necklace that rested at her throat. Her fair skin seemed to glow with the little bit of sparkle she'd added to her normal makeup. Aubrey was sure he'd never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.

"Hey, Superman…" Jessica smiled as she turned away from the door, expecting him to follow her into the living room, but she paused, turning around as she realized he was still standing in the doorway. "What's wrong? Aren't you going to come in?"

"I, uh...I mean...yeah...Jesus...I mean...God, Jessica, you look so beautiful...wow…" Aubrey tried to shake off the stunned feeling he was experiencing. "You look really great! I'm a lucky guy, getting to take you to this Gala thing..." He finally took a step into the apartment. "That dress is awesome…you look like an old time movie star...like maybe Rita Hayworth..."

Blushing, Jessica smiled at her date, happy to have made such a good impression on him. "You look great, too." She took a minute to appreciate how wonderful her tall, lean boyfriend looked in his close-fitting black tuxedo jacket. "We're going to be the best looking couple at the Jeffersonian tonight…"

Gently pulling Jessica into his arms, Aubrey grinned, swaying back and forth to imaginary music. "Maybe we should just stay here and make our own music to dance to...we could skip that silly Gala all together, you know? Just you and me, dancing to some slow jazz here in the living room for awhile before we adjourn to the bedroom for some fun and games…"

Jessica giggled as she looked up at her boyfriend. "We need to make an appearance at the Gala or we'll never hear the end of it from everybody else. I tell you what…" She gently stroked a small circle on the breast pocket of Aubrey's jacket. "Let's go to the Gala for an hour or so...you know, long enough for you to check out the buffet and for us to have a drink or two, and maybe we can have a couple of dances. We can stay long enough to make sure everybody knows we're there, and then we can come back here for a different kind of dance…"

"Well...I guess that makes sense." Aubrey smirked at Jessica before he bent down to kiss her. "I might as well get my money's worth out of this tuxedo...and you're right. If I don't show up this evening, Booth will never give me a moment's peace." Rolling his eyes as he loosened his embrace, he shrugged in resignation. "Okay...let's go…"

Picking up her black velvet cape from the couch, Jessica gave Aubrey a flirty wiggle of her hips. "I'm going to hold you to your promise of fun and games later…"

"You can count on it, Darlin'." Aubrey slyly arched his eyebrow at his girlfriend as he helped her with her wrap. "You can count on it…"

Oooooooooo

The Jeffersonian's Winter Gala was buzzing with activity by the time Jessica and Aubrey arrived at the grand ballroom. The theme for the event was Under the Northern Lights, and the decor had been planned with that in mind. The tables were covered with linens in the same variety of jewel tone blues, purples, reds, and greens that might be experienced when watching the aurora borealis. Colorful twisted streamers of silky fabric hung at different heights and in different directions across the ceiling, gently swirling above the dance floor as they mimicked the swirls and eddies seen in the polar sky as the Northern Lights dance across the horizon. Numerous hanging cut crystal spheres and mirrored orbs reflected light and bounced it around the room, creating an otherworldly atmosphere for the party goers.

"Wow...this is so cool." Aubrey peered with interest at the ballroom's decor. "It's almost got a kind of Star Trek feel to it…"

"I don't think that's exactly what they were going for, Aubrey, but you're right...it's very cool. Do you think we should find a table before you go check out the buffet?" Jessica glanced around the room, looking for an empty place. "There aren't many empty tables...oh, look. Dr. Brennan is waving at us. Do you want to sit with them?"

"Yeah, that'll work...if it's okay with you. Are you gonna feel weird sitting with Dr. B at this thing?" Aubrey was craning his neck to see what appetizers were being offered on the buffet. "I mean, she's your doctoral advisor as well as your boss. I don't want you to be uncomfortable…"

"It's fine. She's actually very pleasant once you get to know her, and it's not like we're going to stay that long anyway, remember? Hey, watch out…" Jessica pulled Aubrey out of the way of a white coated waiter carrying a large tray of champagne glasses. "Maybe you don't need anything to drink after all…"

"Well, tuxedos should have the right of way, you know? Okay, let's go sit with Booth and Dr. B." Aubrey and Jessica made their way through the crowd to join the special agent in charge and his wife at a large round table. "Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all. That's why I was waving at Ms. Warren, so that you'd come sit with us." Brennan's expression clearly indicated she thought Aubrey had asked a silly question. "The buffet looks to be quite impressive this evening, Agent Aubrey. It appears that they've even included some smoked trout, salmon pate, and some black caviar in addition to the usual fruit skewers, pigs in blankets and cheese cubes."

"Excellent. I believe I'll go see what else is available. Do you want to come with me, Jessica, or should I bring you a plate?" Aubrey nodded to the room were the buffet was set up.

"It looks really crowded...I'll just wait here…" Jessica smiled at Aubrey as she took a glass of champagne from a waiter. "Go ahead and get what you want. I'll just nibble from your plate…"

Chuckling, Booth winked at his wife. "You have a brave intern there, Bones, if she's willing to try to take food from Aubrey's plate." Smiling at Jessica, he continued. "Maybe you can teach him how to share…" Booth stopped talking suddenly as he heard the deejay announce his next selection. "I hope you'll excuse us, Ms. Warren, but they're playing our song. C'mon, Bones…" Booth took his laughing wife's hand and led her away from the table.

 _Hot Blooded_ roared over the speakers as Booth and Brennan started to dance wildly to the music, much to Jessica's amazement. She was both surprised and amused to see the no nonsense Dr. Brennan and the stern Special Agent Booth bust a move across the dance floor to the beat of 'their' song. _I hope James and I will have fun like that when we're married...wait a minute...married? Where did that come from...do I really want to marry James? Yeah, I think so...someday...someday soon..._

Aubrey, in the meantime, was in Heaven, and not only because he had a beautiful woman as his date for the evening. The appetizer buffet had a huge array of delectable goodies for him to sample, and he wondered if it would look bad for him to take three or four plates back to the table. Deciding that might be bad form, he filled a plate for himself and then one for his girlfriend, knowing that she'd probably take a bite here or there and he'd be able to eat the rest. After much deliberation, he chose both sweet and savory delights, loading down the plates as he tried to figure out how to convince Jessica that they might need to stay more than an hour so he could try one of everything offered on the buffet.

Turning to go back to his table, Aubrey smiled to himself in anticipation of his feast. He ambled across the room, taking in the sights and sounds of the Gala, until his stomach lurched. Karen Delfs was heading straight for the table where Jessica was sitting.

Trying not to panic as the theme from _Jaws_ went running through his head, Aubrey picked up his pace, walking as fast as he could across the room while carrying two heavily laden dinner plates, hoping to avoid a scene between the two women, but it appeared he was going to be too late. It was like watching a slow motion car wreck. Karen had a predatory look on her face as she approached the unsuspecting Jessica, who sat innocently sipping from her champagne flute.

Karen pretended to accidentally bump into Jessica's chair as she passed by, making Jessica's champagne slosh over the rim of the glass. "Oh, I'm sorry...it's Ms. Wilson, isn't it? I didn't see you there…."

"Actually, it's Ms. Warren...Jessica Warren. Have we met?" Jessica wore an artificially sweet smile as she looked up at her rival. "Oh, yes...it's Ms. Dork, isn't it…"

"Delfs...Karen Delfs." Karen returned the fake smile and upped the ante with a fake laugh. "Jessica Warren...where have I heard that name before...oh, yes...you're Agent Aubrey's little intern friend from the Jeffersonian, aren't you? I seem to remember that he's mentioned you occasionally, although he didn't really seem sure of your name...he kept referring to you as 'some redheaded chick'. As I'm sure you know by now, Jimmy and I are very close friends, and we talk about simply everything while we spend time with each other, eating our meals together and enjoying each other's company. I think he told me once that he occasionally worked with some young woman named Jill or Jennifer...something like that. I guess he must've meant you. He said this same young woman was smart...smart enough to know when she wasn't wanted." Karen's artificially pleasant facade faded away as she came to the point of her rambling speech. "Really, Jessica...you've got to realize that going after Aubrey is a lost cause, right? After all, a man like him deserves a real woman like me, not some pathetic little girl like you who seems to be wearing a dress that looks like it was made from a thrift store curtain..." Karen smoothed her sequined black chiffon dress over her hips. "He needs someone who knows how to love him like he deserves…"

Jessica nodded patiently, twirling the stem of her glass between her fingers as she listened to Karen's diatribe. Finally hearing enough, she interrupted. "It's interesting that you should mention the time you've spent with Aubrey, Ms. Delfs, because he's told me an entirely different version of that story. It seems that you're the one who needs to realize the truth...that he's not interested in you, even though you keep pushing your nose into his business to the point where it's become harassment. The fact that James is my date for this occasion instead of yours seems to bear that out..."

"Really, Ms. Warren...harassment? I don't think so…" Karen glared at Jessica. "You're grossly exaggerating the situation between James and me…"

"I"m not exaggerating...you're just gross. Don't forget, Karen...for some strange reason you sent me a copy of your latest text to James...the one where you tried to flash your boobs at him." Jessica rose from her seat and put her hands on her hips as she turned to face Karen. "By the way, I didn't have to 'go after' James like I was stalking a wild animal, unlike some unfortunate woman I know. As we've worked together on several cases we've found that we have many mutual interests, and we're quite compatible in many ways, both intellectually and physically, which is much more than you could ever say about your supposed friendship with him."

"Jimmy and I are friends. He said so…", Karen whined petulantly. "He said we work well together…"

"He's merely being polite and professional. Perhaps you should follow his example on to how to behave in an office setting." Jessica grinned slyly at Karen as she continued. "And you're sadly mistaken if you think he has trouble remembering my name. I've lost track of how many times he's moaned it in my ear during sex, usually followed by 'I love you', which is something you'll never get to hear from him." Jessica took a step closer to Karen as she continued. "As far as my choice of dress goes, Karen, you're correct. It is used. I bought it from a vintage clothing store. It's a designer original from the forties. If you actually knew James as well as you claim to, you'd know how much he enjoys movies from that era. I bought this dress with him in mind and had it altered to fit because I knew how much he'd appreciate the way it looks on me...because he loves ME. I'm sorry you were mistaken about the kind of relationship that exists between the two of you, but that's the way it is. He's my boyfriend, not yours."

Jessica glanced over her shoulder, smiling at Aubrey, who was approaching the women cautiously, before turning back to Karen. Shaking her head at Karen, Jessica continued in a calm, though chilly, tone of voice. "Agent Aubrey is off the market, Ms. Delfs...not that he'd actually ever be interested in you in that way, but we are a couple, and you're just going to have to accept that. I know it'll be hard to get over this disappointment, since James is quite a catch, but I'm sure you have a lot of experience in dealing with such matters." Taking her boyfriend's hand, Jessica narrowed her eyes at the profiler. "I'm going to say this one time, Karen, so listen carefully...Aubrey is mine, so, if you know what's good for you, BACK OFF. I'm not a person you want to cross…I have older brothers who've teased me mercilessly over the years, and thanks to them, I've learned to be both devious and thorough when my revenge is visited on those who annoy me."

Fuming, Karen glared at Jessica and then turned to Aubrey, pleading with him to take her side. "Jimmy, are you going to let this snotty little girl talk to me like that? Imagine laying claim to you like you're one of her belongings...seriously?"

Aubrey chuckled as he shrugged and shook his head. "Actually, I think it's kinda hot that she wants me like that. Sorry, Karen." He put his arm around Jessica and gave her a squeeze. "Jessica and I are together now, so I think you'd better take her advice and leave us alone. Being a profiler, you know how these forensic anthropologists are...they can be sorta crazy. If you make her angry, the police may never find your body…"

"Hmph." Karen scowled as she stamped her foot. "You're both so ridiculous…as if I'd feel ever threatened by a little girl like her..." As she turned to leave them, Karen ran squarely into a large waiter carrying a tray of filled champagne flutes. Both the waiter and Karen fell to the floor, drenched with champagne as the bubbly liquid spilled over them and the glasses and tray came loudly crashing down around them. Several people turned in their seats or stood up, trying to see what had happened as a thoroughly mortified Karen sat on the floor in a puddle of wine with the waiter lying on top of her. Biting his lip to keep from laughing out loud, Aubrey walked over to help her up.

"Are you okay, Karen? You weren't cut by the broken glass, were you?", Aubrey said as he offered her his hand.

"I'm fine! Get away from me…" Karen slapped his hand away as she pushed the waiter off of her lap and got herself up from the floor. Trying to regain her dignity as she pulled her damp dress away from her body, Karen looked past Aubrey to glare at Jessica. "YOU! This is all your fault…" Karen pushed her damp hair away from her face as she stuck out her chin defiantly. "I'm going tell Agent Booth about this…"

"Save your breath, Ms. Delfs.", Booth growled as he and Brennan walked over to the table. "I saw everything. I'm not sure you can blame Ms. Warren for your lack of attention or clumsiness on your part. I assume you two were trying to work things out between you, because I'm sure after our discussion earlier this week you wouldn't be trying to harass her…"

"No, of course not, Agent Booth." Karen glanced at Jessica and Aubrey. "I was just wishing them well since I'll be transferring to the Kansas City office later this month…"

Seeing Aubrey's smirk out of the corner of his eye, Booth relaxed a bit before he continued. "I see. Well, I hope you'll be happy there. Good night, Ms. Delfs…"

"Yes...good night." Karen quickly walked away, trailing champagne as she did, and leaving the FBI agents and the forensic anthropologists to enjoy the rest of the evening in peace.

"It appears you were successful in defending your territory, Ms. Warren.", Brennan chuckled. "You've obviously repelled the interloper…"

"Thanks, Dr. B. And thank you, too, Agent Booth." Jessica giggled as she reached over to snag a chicken wing from Aubrey's plate. "I'm glad you arranged to have Karen transferred…"

"It wasn't me...she requested that on her own. I think she realized she didn't have a chance with Aubrey, and she decided to cut her losses and leave town. Maybe she was giving you both an early Christmas present."

Aubrey laughed as he pretended to slap Jessica's hand away from his plate. "Well, in that case...Merry Christmas to us!"

* * *

 _One more chapter to go..._


	12. Chapter 12 A Merry Christmas

Aubrey ran through his mental checklist once again as he and Jessica walked up the sidewalk toward Booth and Brennan's front door. "We've got the gifts for the kiddos, right? And the bottle of scotch for Booth…"

"Yes, and a bottle of merlot for Dr. Brennan." Jessica nodded her approval at the label on the bottle. "This is a nice wine, James...good choice…"

"Thanks." He smiled as he gave her a quick kiss. "And thanks for coming with me this evening. Booth said they decided to have friends over for dinner on Christmas Eve since they're having a big family dinner Christmas Day. Parker's plane gets in about noon tomorrow, and Dr. B's brother and his family are coming from North Carolina."

"I'm glad you asked me to come with you. I've been looking forward to it. However, I do need to know one very important thing before we go any further." Jessica rolled her eyes as Aubrey made a silly face at her. "Be serious for a minute, okay? Listen, do Christine and Michael-Vincent still believe in Santa Claus? I don't want to say the wrong thing and break their little hearts this evening."

Pausing on the front step, Aubrey thought things over carefully before he answered. "I'm not really sure. Christine's pretty smart, so she may have figured things out by now, and who knows what Angela and Hodgins have told Michael-Vincent?" He rang the doorbell and shrugged at Jessica. "I tell you what...let's just play it by ear. We won't bring Santa Claus up in conversation tonight, and we'll see what the kids have to say about who's gonna bring their presents tomorrow morning."

"That's very logical. Good plan, Superman…" Jessica giggled as she put her arms around Aubrey's neck. "Have I told you lately how smart you are?"

"I think your exact words were smart ass…" Grinning broadly as he pulled his girlfriend closer, Aubrey gave Jessica another, more passionate kiss.

"Okay, break it up! Quit that, Aubrey. We've got little kids in here." Booth stood in the open doorway, grinning at the couple as they hastily backed away from each other. "Are you two gonna be able to keep it PG-13 this evening?", he chuckled. "Or am I gonna have to separate you? Maybe I should make you sit on opposite ends of the couch..."

Blushing furiously, Jessica followed a sheepish Aubrey into the Booth-Brennan abode. "I can't believe you embarrassed me like that in front of Agent Booth…", she whispered, slightly flustered as she glared at her boyfriend.

"Relax...he's kidding...I think…" Aubrey was interrupted by a chorus of squeals.

"Uncle Aubrey's here! Uncle Aubrey's here!" Christine and Michael-Vincent, clad in their Christmas footie pajamas, danced around their favorite visitor. Christine pulled on Aubrey's arm as he made his triumphant entry into the family room. "Did you bring more gummy bears with you tonight?"

"Gummy bears?" Brennan arched her eyebrow at Aubrey as she balanced Hank on her hip. "Why does Christine think you'd bring her gummy bears, Aubrey?"

Pulling his usual 'who, me?' face, the younger man shrugged and raised his hands in the air as he looked guiltily at his girlfriend's boss. "I have no idea, Dr. B…."

Christine laughed at the silly, forgetful adults. "Don't you 'member, Uncle Aubrey? Daddy had to go find Mommy at the lab one night and you stayed here with me while he was gone and you had gummy bears in your pocket, and you gave me some and I ate them instead of my broccoli 'cause broccoli's yucky…" The little girl's eyes grew wide as she clapped her hand over her mouth. "I forgot...that was sposed to be a secret, right?"

"Don't worry about it, Honey." Aubrey ruffled the little girl's hair. "I think your Mommy and Daddy figured that one out a long time ago." Laughing, he sat down and bounced the little girl on his knee as he patted the seat on the couch next to him. "Here you go, Buddy." Michael-Vincent crawled up on the couch with a well worn book. "Oh, good! The Grinch! That's one of my favorites!" Changing voices as he spoke the different characters' dialogue in the story, Aubrey led the children on a trip to Whoville to see how the Grinch's heart grew three sizes as he discovered the true meaning of Christmas.

Jessica sat in a nearby armchair watching her boyfriend, fascinated by how easily he interacted with the two small children, especially considering he'd been an only child himself. She smiled as she realized one of the many things she loved about him was his refusal to take himself too seriously. In some ways, her boyfriend was still a big goofy kid, but she didn't care. His enthusiasm for life was contagious, and she looked forward to catching that enthusiasm from him.

After the story was finished, Christine and Michael-Vincent went to snoop around the tree, hoping to find some small packages with their names on them. Aubrey caught Jessica's eye and nodded to the empty seat next to him. "Care to join me?"

She smiled demurely as she sat next to him and patted his thigh. "Only if you can behave yourself in public. I don't want to get into any more trouble with Booth and Brennan."

"Okay...I'll try to behave until it's time for us to leave, but I have some interesting plans for later..." Aubrey winked at her as he kissed her cheek. "I bet Booth's got some mistletoe hanging in a doorway somewhere in this house, and if we're lucky, maybe he'll let us borrow it so I can get a kiss or two from my favorite girl."

"Really?" Jessica gave her boyfriend a quizzical look. "What makes you think he has mistletoe hanging up somewhere?"

"Oh, just a little story Ms. Julian told me last week. It seems that she arranged for Dr. B and Booth to spend some time kissing under some mistletoe in Dr. B's office several years ago…"

Aubrey's story was interrupted by the hubbub and happy exchange of greetings accompanying the arrival of Cam and Arastoo. Finally, with the guests all present, the group sat down to a feast of vegetable lasagne, salad, and homemade cheesecake. Booth grinned as he put two pans of lasagne on the buffet. "One for Aubrey and one for the rest of us." Raising his glass as he stood at the head of the table, Booth offered a toast. "Here's to our good friends...the people who make up our second family."

The happy group around the table raised their glasses in response. "To good friends."

Booth took a drink from his glass and gestured toward the table. "Okay, everyone...dig in." Soon the dining room was filled with animated talking and laughter as the group shared stories of past Christmases they'd celebrated together.

"Believe it or not, Aubrey, Booth and I spent our first Christmas together quarantined in the lab at the Jeffersonian." Brennan smiled at her husband as she told the story. "We'd been exposed to a pathogen and couldn't leave…all because Booth brought me a Christmas gift of sorts...a decomposed body that had been found in an old fallout shelter..."

Aubrey gave Booth a surprised look as he laughed out loud. "A corpse for a Christmas gift, Booth? What a romantic idea. You really know how to impress a girl, don't you?"

"Being confined together like that is definitely the hard way to get to know people, isn't it? Spending three days in close quarters over a holiday?" Angela grinned as she nudged Hodgins in the ribs. "See what happens when you don't follow autopsy protocol, Jessica? People end up getting married."

Hodgins laughed good naturedly. "Yeah, I know...it was all my fault, alright? But, for the most part, things turned out okay, didn't they? Look how happy we are now."

Chuckling, Booth turned to Aubrey. "You know what they say...nothing brings people together like a Christmas lung fungus."

Angela nodded to Aubrey and grinned at Jessica. "Maybe Brennan can tell you about the time she had to collect all of Booth's clothing as evidence in a crime. I bet you might like to recreate that scene yourself with a different FBI agent, right, Ms. Warren?"

Booth was scandalized. "Hey, they don't need to know about that, Angela…"

"Oh, I don't know." Angela flashed a naughty grin at her host. "I still remember how entertaining it was to see Brennan push you through the lab on that cart while you were wearing only your boxers…that was definitely a pleasant Christmas gift for the rest of us."

"Daddy, why did you take your clothes off at work? Didn't you get cold?" Christine tilted her head as she gave her father a confused look.

"Your Daddy was very brave that day, Christine. His clothes got dirty because he was in an explosion, and I had to help him remove his clothing to preserve the evidence that got stuck to them…" Brennan licked her lips, giving her husband a flirty glance as she remembered what had happened in the exam room that day. "It was somewhat embarrassing for Daddy, because he had to undress in the lab. However, that evidence helped us solve the crime."

"Oh, okay." Satisfied with her mother's explanation, Christine returned to her dinner, missing the silent exchange between her parents as her mother arched an eyebrow at her father, who chuckled happily when he realized they'd be replaying the removal of clothing in the lab scene in their bedroom later that evening, although the outcome would certainly be different than it had been at the lab that day. He was glad there would be no need to call on the saints to help him behave appropriately later that evening...

Oooooooooo

After dinner, the table was cleared and everyone adjourned to the family room. "Time for gifts!", Booth said, smiling as he gave a small box to Aubrey. "I think this might last you a day or two."

Grinning happily, Aubrey crowed as he unwrapped the package. "Oho! Look at this! A gift card to the doughnut shop! Thanks, Booth!"

"Yeah, well, just make sure you remember to share the doughnuts with your boss." Booth reached under the tree for another package. "This tag says 'to Michael-Vincent'…"

"Daddy!" A bouncing Michael-Vincent took his package over to Hodgins. "It's a present for me! Who's it from? Can I open it now?"

Laughing at his son's excitement, Hodgins looked at the tag. "This is from Agent Aubrey." Seeing Aubrey nod slightly, Hodgins gave the package back to his son. "I think you can open it now, but let's check first to see if there's a package from Agent Aubrey for Christine, too…" They looked under the tree. "Here it is…okay, give this to Christine and then let's see what you got."

The children wasted no time in unwrapping the packages, sending paper and ribbon flying as they raced to see who could open their gift first. "Look, Daddy!" Christine ran to show her father what she'd received. "It's a build your own robot kit, Daddy! Mine's red and Michael-Vincent's is yellow. We can build them and then race them…and look…" She pointed at her younger brother. "Hank got a stuffed dinosaur."

"Those are some pretty cool presents, aren't they? Did you remember to say thank you?" Booth smiled down at his little girl as she nodded vigorously. "Good." Giving the younger man a thumbs up, Booth grinned as the kids looked through the instructions for building their droids. "Thanks, Aubrey...that was really thoughtful. The kids will have a good time with those kits. I'm sure the scotch and merlot will be put to good use, too, after a long day of work. We appreciate it."

"My pleasure, Booth. I'm glad the kids like their gifts. Hey, I think Jessica and I are gonna head out…" Aubrey picked up his jacket and put his arm around his girlfriend. "Thanks for dinner. Have a good Christmas tomorrow."

"Yeah, you, too. So you're taking off a couple of days after Christmas, right?" Booth winked slyly at Aubrey as Jessica went to say goodbye to Brennan. "Are you gonna be married when you come back to work?"

"What? No!" Aubrey stammered out his denial, embarrassed at Booth's suggestion. "What ever gave you that idea? Drop it, Booth! Just stop, okay?"

"Stop what?", Jessica asked innocently as Booth snickered at Aubrey's discomfort. "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing important. Are you ready to go, Jess?" Aubrey piled her jacket into her arms and practically pushed her out the door. "Good night, Dr. Brennan. See ya, Booth…"

"Thanks for dinner, Agent Booth." Jessica waved as Aubrey hustled her down the sidewalk. "Merry Christmas!" She glared at her boyfriend as they got into the car. "What was that all about?"

"It was nothing...I'm just ready to get home." He reached over to pat her knee. "I want to spend some quality time with my beautiful girlfriend on Christmas Eve, alright?"

She smiled coyly as she glanced at Aubrey, wondering if she should tell him that she'd overheard Booth's nosy questions, and then deciding against it. She chuckled softly as they drove to his apartment. It was going to be an interesting Christmas.

Ooooooooo

Later that evening, Aubrey and Jessica sat on the couch in his living room, shoulder to shoulder as they played another noisy round of _Goldeneye_ on his video gaming system _._ Aubrey grunted in frustration as he tried to move James Bond out of harm's way, but Jessica's thumbs flew across her controller, allowing Xenia Onatopp to catch up with Bond and shoot the spy, thus ending that round of game.

"Arrgh….You got me…" Aubrey put his hand over his heart, closing his eyes as he pretended to collapse on the sofa. He opened one eye to glare at Jessica. "Hey...where did you learn to play this game so well?"

"I have many special talents, James…video gaming is just one of them." She giggled as he pretended to pout. "Sorry...I'll let you win next time."

"I don't want you to let me win…" Aubrey threw his controller aside as he put his arms around his girlfriend and pulled her close. "I'll just have to find some way to distract you next time we play."

"What do you have in mind?" Jessica grinned slyly as she moved to straddle Aubrey's lap. "I'd think you'd like me to continue to be Onatopp, and you'd like to let me to win when we play the game or when we wrestle, right?"

Aubrey groaned softly as Jessica nibbled at his ear. "So you're saying that you'd take advantage of your feminine charms to try to beat me at a video game? Do you really want to win that badly?"

Jessica shrugged, laughing softly as she ran her hands across his shoulders and down his chest. "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how horny you can make your boyfriend…"

"I see." He chuckled as he glanced at his watch. "Well, you've been very successful in that department, Jess. Anyway, it's getting late, and you know Santa Claus won't stop by the apartment until we're in bed fast asleep…"

"He may have to wait for awhile before we reach the fast asleep stage." Jessica ran her fingers lightly across her boyfriend's lips. "I have a gift for you to open tonight, but I need you to wait here for a few minutes before you see it." Rising from the couch, Jessica gave him a seductive smile. "Give me a ten minute head start." She turned and walked quickly into his bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"Ten minutes? I don't know if I can wait that long…", Aubrey whined. "Jessica…come on, Jessica…I wanna see my present...It's my bedroom after all..."

A few minutes later, he heard her calling softly to him. "Ready, James. Come and see your gift…"

"Finally!" He strode to his bedroom but stopped suddenly as he opened the door. "Wow…"

Jessica was laying in the middle of his bed wearing a very short royal blue satin and lace babydoll nightgown with a matching thong. The deep v-necked bodice was made of sheer embroidered lace, allowing the creamy skin of her breasts to peek through. The satin that made up the rest of the slip fell softly to the top of her thigh, offering a tantalizing view of the sheer lacy thong to Aubrey's appreciative eye.

"Merry Christmas, James…" Jessica smiled demurely as she batted her eyes at him. "I picked this out especially for you."

"You look so beautiful…", he murmured. Sitting next to her on the bed, he reached out to caress her shoulder. "Gorgeous...this color is perfect. I can't stop looking at you…"

"I'm glad..." Jessica eyed her boyfriend's lean frame hungrily. "...but I think you're wearing too many clothes to appreciate it properly…" She reached her hand under his tee shirt and began to tease her fingers along his abdomen. "You need to lose this shirt and those jeans…now..."

"As you wish…" Being an intelligent man, he knew when it was in his best interest to follow orders. He wasted no time stripping down to his boxers, quickly climbing back into bed. "Better?"

"Much. Come here…" She gently pushed on Aubrey's shoulders as he lay back on the bed. "Since it's Christmas Eve, maybe I should unwrap your package first…" She licked her lips as she brushed her fingers lightly along the bulge in the front of his undershorts. "What do you think?"

Squirming slightly under her attentive ministrations, he shrugged slightly. "Oh, I'm in no hurry. We can take our time, I guess." He reached under her nightgown and ran his hand lightly across her soft skin. "After all, it's not really Christmas yet, and I want my present to last a long time when I finally unwrap it." He pulled her closer, kissing her deeply before moving his attention down toward her lacy bodice. He gently teased her rosy pebbled nipples with his tongue, enjoying the contrast between her smooth skin and the lace. "God...so good…"

Jessica arched toward him, wanting to get closer to him as he drove her wild with his mouth on her breasts. "Oh yes...so good." She lay with her head on his shoulder, and her hand dipped into his shorts as she began to move her fingers teasingly across his arousal. "You're amazing, Superman...you make me feel so good..."

"I aim to please." As he kissed her, he ran his fingers down to her hip and then to her thong, teasing her, zigzagging his index finger across the lacy front of the undergarment as she moaned with pleasure. "You like that, don't you? When I touch you like that?"

Biting her lip, she nodded as she swiveled her hips toward him. "Yesss…", she sighed.

He dipped two fingers inside the lace, stroking her gently as she stroked his erection, enjoying the way the blue satin of her nightgown shimmered with her sensual movements. "God...you feel so good...so ready for me…" Soon his whole hand was in her thong, massaging her gently as she clung to him, moaning softly. "God, I want you so bad, Jessie…"

"And I want you, too." She groaned softly as she turned away from him and shimmied out of her thong, throwing the damp garment on the floor before turning to her boyfriend, clawing desperately at his shorts. "You need to lose those boxers now! I need you now, James...get inside me now, before I go crazy…"

Giving Jessica a silly grin, he pulled off his boxers and threw them on the floor. "I'll be glad to oblige you, Jess, but I actually kind of like it when you go crazy. Wait…" He stopped her before she could pull off her short nightgown. "Leave it on for now, okay? I like it...a lot..." He pulled her onto his lap so that she was facing him with her hands on his shoulders, kissing her passionately as he sat with his back against the headboard. She straddled him as he buried his face between her breasts, his groaning increasing as he began to thrust himself slowly but firmly into his lover. Jessica pulled herself closer to him as he began to suckle her nipples through the lace bodice, loving the feel of the roughness of his tongue and the lace against her skin. He held her hips to keep her in place, increasing his rhythm as she began to mewl softly with each thrust. He knew she was close to her climax, and he bucked harder against her as she clung to him tightly, arching her back as she felt herself begin to shatter. Pulling Jessica closer still, he pumped into her hard until she finally screamed his name, collapsing against his chest as he achieved his own release.

Sighing contentedly, Aubrey gently rubbed Jessica's back as she lay panting against him, enjoying the feel of the soft fabric of her nightgown beneath his fingers. "God, I love you so much, Jessica, and I love my gift.", he whispered. "I hope I'll be able to use it a lot this coming year."

A very drowsy Jessica snuggled happily against his chest. "I think we can probably work that out, James..."

Oooooooooo

It was 9:30 on Christmas morning when Jessica, wearing her short blue nightgown and some yoga pants, strolled into Aubrey's kitchen and put her arms around his waist as he stood at the counter. "Merry Christmas, Superman…"

He turned to his girlfriend, smiling as he gave her a kiss. "Merry Christmas to you, too, Jessie. I'm glad you're finally up. I thought maybe I was gonna have to start opening presents without you."

"Not a chance." She took a mug out of a cabinet and poured herself some coffee. "Want me to make us some breakfast?"

"Nope. I've got some cinnamon rolls baking in the oven. I figure we can have a light breakfast this morning so we can save room for Christmas dinner later today." Aubrey pulled two small Cornish hens from his refrigerator. "I'm gonna roast us some fancy little chickens this afternoon."

"Sounds good." She took a sip of coffee as she leaned against the counter, smiling shyly. "Sorry I slept so late. I hope I didn't mess up your plans for the day…"

"Nah. I didn't really have any set plans for today, and, anyway, we were pretty busy last night, remember? I knew you were tired." He grinned at her as he took the rolls out of the oven. "Now, just so you know, eventually, when we have kids, we'll have to get up a lot earlier on Christmas morning to open the gifts Santa Claus brought…" Aubrey's cheeks blushed bright red as he realized what he'd said. "I mean, you know, if a person has little kids...they, um...they have to get up, you know...early...oh, God...I'm so sorry. Shit...this is awkward, isn't it?" He turned away and tried to shrug off his embarrassment, hoping the floor would open up and swallow him so he'd be out of his misery. "I'm gonna just put the icing on these rolls and they'll be ready to eat." The silence behind him was deafening, and he wondered if he'd ruined Christmas, and more importantly, if he'd ruined his life.

Jessica hesitated a minute or two before slowly walking across the kitchen to where Aubrey was standing. She laughed softly as she gave him a gentle squeeze. "You're right, Superman.", she began, nodding resolutely as she leaned against him. "When we have kids, we'll have to get up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning to see what Santa Claus brought to our house, but until then, I'm going to sleep in as late as I can, especially after having an all night tumble with my husband on Christmas Eve."

"Yeah?" Aubrey studied Jessica's face to see if she was serious before a smile slowly spread across his face.

She nodded, smiling back at him. "Yeah. Now, let's go open our presents while we wait for the rolls to cool down enough to frost." Jessica crooked her finger for him to follow her into the living room.

Oooooooooo

"I love my gifts, Superman." Sitting on the sofa next to her boyfriend, Jessica held up her new tee shirt. " _Princess Leia is my homegirl_." She ran her finger over the picture of the Star Wars character and grinned. "Perfect. And a complete set of Star Wars pez dispensers, and this little cosmetic bag…" She held up the zippered case that was printed to look like an evidence bag. "And especially my necklace." She gently touched the lightweight gold chain holding the small golden star set with a tiny diamond chip.

"Well, anything for my Starfire, you know?" Aubrey looked over his pile happily. "I like my stuff, too. A popcorn popper shaped like the Deathstar, and a phone charger shaped like the Millennium Falcon…a pair of lightsabers so you and I can defend the apartment from marauding stormtroopers ..." He held up some undershorts. "Superman boxers, and a set of cookbooks from the chili cook off we went to earlier this year. All this loot and that awesome nightgown you're wearing, too. I did really well this year, didn't I?"

"We both did, but I have one more gift for you." Jessica held out a small box for James. "It's something a little different. I hope you like it."

"Okay…" He unwrapped the small box and opened it, trying to catch the slip of paper that fell out of the package. "What's this?" He picked it up and gave Jessica a puzzled look as he glanced at the paper. "A web address?"

Jessica grimaced slightly as she tried to explain. "It's for a virtual scrapbook. See?" She accessed the link with her phone. "Pictures of you and me together at the chili cook off...the tickets from the Star Wars movie marathon...pictures that I accidentally took of you at the crime scene the other day...here's a couple of pictures of us from the other night at the Jeffersonian Gala…" She ran through several more pages. "Our whole relationship is right here online for you to enjoy, so you can be reminded of all the good times we have together."

"You put this together for me?" Aubrey accessed the link on his phone. "This is great!"

"It was fun to put it together. I wanted you to show you how special it is for me when I spend time with you." Jessica paused, blushing a little under Aubrey's intense gaze. "I love you and I want you to know that every day...how much I value our time together." Jessica continued by showing him some of the website's features. "You can access it from your computer, too, and you can add any pictures you want." She took a picture of him with her phone. "See, now I can just add this to the scrapbook, and you can look at it wherever you are, any time you want." She smirked as she added the picture to the online file. "Another good thing about this virtual scrapbook is that it's kind of like my relationship insurance policy."

Aubrey was confused. "Relationship insurance policy? I don't get it."

"If another woman comes snooping around you, trying to steal you away from me, and she won't take no for an answer, you can fend her off by showing her this file, and she'll know you're already taken. You'll have evidence to prove it." Jessica giggled as Aubrey threw a wad of wrapping paper at her. "I'll show you how upload pictures later this afternoon."

"I love it, Jess. Thanks." He gave her a kiss before he continued. "And, speaking of evidence…" Aubrey paused as he gave Jessica another package. "Here...well, go ahead. Open it."

Jessica tore the wrapping off the package and found a gray metal recipe box, about the right size to hold index cards. "Oh...this is nice…" The look on her face told Aubrey she didn't understand.

"Did you look inside?" He opened the lid and showed her the contents. "I know you squinty types like facts, evidence, and proof, right? These index cards are like the ones Booth uses. He writes his notes from the crime scene on them so he can look at them later, when he's doing a report. So I borrowed that idea, but instead I've written some facts and evidence for you, so you have proof that I love you. Look…" He pulled out a card from the box. "Read it."

Jessica glanced over the card before reading it aloud. "Fact: Jessica has a great sense of humor and she makes me laugh. That's why I love her."

He handed her another card, and she read it aloud as well. "Fact: Jessica is one of the smartest women I know, and that makes me smarter. That's why I love her." She read a third card. "Fact: Jessica is a beautiful woman, and I'm so lucky she's my girlfriend." She looked up at Aubrey with a stunned expression. "James…"

His shoulders drooping slightly, Aubrey sighed, disappointed that Jessica didn't seem to like her gift. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to let you know how I felt about you. I figured maybe you could keep this somewhere, and you could look through it from time to time if you wanted, and I could add to it as I gathered more evidence about how much I love you. Pretty stupid, huh?"

"No...pretty wonderful!" Jessica laughed happily as she looked through all the cards in the box. "There must be over a hundred cards in here, and you've something written beautiful on every single one." She brushed away a tear. "I never dreamed that I'd ever be able to find someone who loves me like this, James. It makes me feel so cherished...it's so amazing..."

"You really like it?" Aubrey beamed, elated at making his girlfriend so happy. "I was worried that it was too sappy."

"I love it. I really do. It's sweet, and creative, and thoughtful...it's a gift that reflects who you truly are." She leaned over to give him a kiss. "I love you so much, James."

"I love you, too, Jessica. You've made me such a happy man." He smiled as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "You've definitely made this the best Christmas I've ever had."

Jessica nestled against Aubrey and smiled back at him. "That may be true, but trust me, Aubrey...we'll have many more happy Christmases together."

Aubrey kissed Jessica gently as he held her in his arms. "I know, darlin', and I'm looking forward to that...thirty or forty or fifty years of Christmases with my sweet Jessie...that's the best Christmas gift I could ever receive. This'll be a December I'll remember for the rest of my life. Merry Christmas, Jessica."

"It's definitely been memorable." Nodding in agreement, Jessica brushed a tear of happiness from her cheek as she hugged Aubrey closer. "Merry Christmas, James."

* * *

 _And so ends my Secret Santa story for mphs95. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. I wish each of you a wonderful New Year. Laura_


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